FALLING
by anyahibiki
Summary: Ryoga saves Ukyo's life, unaware of what that will unfold... Chapter six now up!
1. Falling: Prologue

Well, this is something that just came up and couldn't stop writing, let's see where it goes, shall we?

Let me know what you think!

I don't own Ranma 1/2

PROLOGUE.

She was falling.

Through her tear-filled eyes, she could barely see everything disappearing in front of her, consumed by fire and smoke, as she looked at the sky above.

It felt never ending. But she knew any time now her body would hit the cold surface of the ocean and it would be all over. The cliff was too high, no-one could survive that fall. She wondered if her friends were falling like her; if they were still caught up in the fire, hurt and unable to move; if they were already dead, or if they had survived and were trying to find a way home… Would they miss her?

Her limbs felt numb, unconsciousness starting to take over, her blurry vision became even more strained, she prayed the heavens to be out cold before she crashed, surely that way it would be less painful.

… _Goodbye Ranchan… _

As darkness was taking over, a pair of strong, masculine arms enveloped her firmly, pressing her back against their owner.

Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter one

Here's the first chapter, I've rewritten some parts of it, hopefully it makes more sense now. =)

Although the story itself doesn't make much sense, but...

* * *

CHAPTER ONE.

Ukyo's eyes slowly opened up, the white light piercing through her skull, increasing her headache. She blinked a couple of times; this surely didn't look like heaven. Nor hell, either. Thankfully. And she could feel a lot of pain across her body. Yup, she was alive.

Her sight was still unfocused, but she could figure out another bed next to hers, its occupant resting easy, breathing evenly. She forced her vision to the side, everything becoming clearer. The girl on the bed was Akane. That meant Ranma had saved the girl.

_Of course he has… He always does…_

Had he saved her, too?

She seemed fine, a few scratches were visible in her face and arms, but it didn't seem to be any other injury. She looked almost angelical.

She wondered then how would she look herself. The way she was hurting, probably not as good as her room partner. That wasn't new.

The door slung open and Dr. Tofu came in, accompanied by a totally wrecked Ranma, helping himself with crutches, bandaged all over.

She tried to smile, but even her cheeks hurt.

"Yo, Ucchan!" He greeted happily, waking Akane up, "you finally awake!"

She winced at the loudness, but greeted her fiancé with intent of a smile.

"Shhhh! You baka! Don't be so loud." Akane chided, sitting slowly on the bed.

"Sorry, I'm just glad to see she's fine," he smiled apologetically, sitting on Akane's bed.

Ukyo could see the other girl smiling friendly at her, with something else that seemed to be an apology. Probably because it was actually her fault that she found herself in that situation right now, why do they always have to kidnap her?

Ukyo cleared her throat as Dr Tofu checked her wounds, and he gave her some water.

"What happened?" She could get through after a while, when her throat stopped feeling like sandpaper.

"We made it," Ranma said triumphantly, his chest puffed. "I destroyed the demon, rescued this tomboy (he pointed at the short haired girl, who glared) and returned home."

He made it seem so simple.

"I remember an explosion…"

"The Moko Takabisha went a little overboard, on purpose of course, and that bastard already kept a lot of energy inside, you should've seen how he blew up."

"You made him blow up?" Akane gasped horrified and relieved at the same time.

"Too bad a few trees got on fire…"

Ukyo remembered fire and smoke.

"How did you make a demon blow up?" Dr Tofu asked, curiously.

"He fed on energy, I stuffed him." He snickered. "That's why we were all so wasted; he had drained almost all our ki."

Ukyo tried to sit up but failed miserably, she settled a little upwards on the pillows instead.

"Ukyo, how did you end up down on the shore?" Akane questioned, truly curious.

The chef blinked a couple of times, then shook her head, "I don't know…"

"Don't you remember anything?"

"I remember the explosion, I was kneeling near the cliff's edge trying to catch some breath I guess; I remember feeling so weak; then I was thrown backwards by the expanding wave, and I fell…"

Ranma winced in guilt, "I'm so sorry Ucchan…"

"It's okay, it's not your fault, you didn't know…"

Akane lifted a hand to her mouth, "but Ukyo, it was a four hundred feet fall, how did you make it?"

"I don't know, the last I remember was falling backwards, and everything went black… Then I woke up here… How did I get here anyway?"

"We found you on the shore, unconscious…" Ranma said, that meant he hadn't saved her after all; "Ryoga was a few feet away, too. I had thought you had tried to find help or something…"

_Strong, masculine arms…_

"Is he okay?" Akane said to Dr Tofu.

"Yeah, can we see him already?" Ranma added.

"Not yet kids, give him some time…"

Both teen's faces fell at the negative to see their friend.

"So, how bad am I, doctor?" The brunette asked, concerned.

"Just a few bruises and scratches, you'll be fine in a couple of days; meanwhile, you have to stay in observation, just in case."

"I thought it would be much worse, considering how I got here," she mused.

"You should be grateful Ukyo, you seem to have a guardian angel," Dr Tofu smiled, but it was a strange smile, _or something else… _He thought.

Then he went to examine Akane, and said she could go home already. Ranma had to stay for a couple of days in observation too, but the doctor found no way to keep him in the hospital, so that afternoon both of them went home. They would return the day after to visit her and the others. She heard Mousse was in the next room, with a broken leg and a concussion; Shampoo had broken her right arm and had a few cracked ribs, but she had gone home anyways; Ryoga was on intensive care and was still unconscious.

Ranma had told her what had happened after everything was over. He'd found Mousse sheltering Shampoo behind a tree, Akane had been in some sort of crystal prison, it gave him a hard time to brake it; and Ryoga had done his Shi shi Hokodan, to give Ranma time to gather enough ki for his attack. So he assumed it had happened to him the same it happened to Ukyo, being too weak after.

All in all, they didn't end up that bad, considering the circumstances.

Still, she had to wonder… If Ryoga fell off like her, knowing how strong he was, shouldn't he be in a better condition than hers?

_He's cursed… _She remembered. She had found out about Ryoga's curse by accident, one time he and Ranma were fighting outside her restaurant and suddenly it'd started raining. Ranma had pleaded her to keep the secret since Akane would kill both boys when she found out. She agreed reluctantly, but made them promise they tell Akane the truth soon. She couldn't say no to her Ranchan.

Ryoga had probably hit the water and instantly became P-chan, that's why he ended up worse. His little pig form probably couldn't stand so much damage. Especially since they had been too weak at the time…

Although, Ranma had said nothing about finding him in his cursed form, he said Ryoga, not P-chan. Besides, Akane would definitely had said something about it, after all, she still didn't know the truth…

…_pressing her back against their owner…_

…"_you seem to have a guardian angel"…_

There was definitely something not right about all this, provoking a strong, fierce and unknown feeling growing inside her chest, and she would find out what it was.

-o-o-o-

She flung her legs off the bed, her feet meeting the cold floor. She knew she had to stay in bed, but her body soared so much she felt she needed a walk. Everything was in silence, morning in a hospital wasn't supposed to be fun after all. Glancing at the sky through the window, she figured it was quite early; but she didn't feel like staying in bed. Besides, she hadn't slept that well; she'd had nightmares, though she couldn't quite remember what they were about. Several thoughts had been churning in her head the night before, and she couldn't rest easy. She just had this weird feeling…

Peeping outside to see there was nobody, she rushed to the next door and tapped.

"Come in", she could hear from inside. Good, Mousse was awake.

She entered hurriedly, smiling.

"I'm not supposed to be here," she clarified, earning a smile from her friend.

"Don't worry, I wont tell on you."

"How are you feeling?" She asked, sitting on the chair next to the bed.

"Truthfully? Like crap. But looking at the bright side, at least I don't have to put up with the old ghoul's mistreat for a while…"

Ukyo chuckled, "that means you're been worse, huh?"

Mousse laughed a little, "much worse…"

"Mousse," she cleared her throat, "I'm sorry to bother you, but, do you remember anything about when you guys found me?"

The boy blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust his eyes. Failing miserably, he asked Ukyo for his glasses.

"I hate these, but my head hurts terribly if I force my sight, especially now."

She nodded, waiting patiently for his response.

"I was carrying Shampoo on my back, and Miss Tendo was supporting Saotome, he couldn't walk quite fine."

"You carried Shampoo with your broken leg?"

He smiled sheepishly, "she was wounded, what was I supposed to do?"

Something inside her went warm, Mousse was willing to put Shampoo's well being on top of everything else, including himself. If only she would see that…

"Anyway, we headed to the little town that we passed by on our way to find Miss Tendo, walking down the shore, looking for you, and we found you first; Ranma and Miss Tendo managed to lift you up, you were still unconscious, so we resumed walking. A few feet away we found Ryoga; I personally freaked out, we thought he was dead. Ranma checked on him, and since he found him breathing, he carried him piggyback. Miss Tendo and I had you, since Shampoo insisted on walking. We reached the little town and called an ambulance, we were transferred here afterwards."

"I don't remember any of that…"

"Miss Kuonji, please don't be offended by what I'm going to say, but I don't quite understand why or how you're still alive."

She gulped, "me neither."

"I mean," Mousse continued, "I understand Ryoga, he's the strongest guy I know; hell, he's most likely to be the strongest guy on earth!" He chuckled, "but you…"

Ukyo frowned, concerned.

"I saw the cliff's height, and the ocean was raging… We had all been drained of our energy… It's a miracle, I dare to say."

"W-when you found R-ryoga," she started, her voice quivering, "wasn't he human?"

"You mean if he was on his cursed form? No, he wasn't. Now that you mention it, he should have been P-chan, after all, he fell to the water and he was being soaked by the waves. That's strange…"

"Tell me about it…" The chef muttered, feeling more at a loss than before.

The feeling inside her chest just kept growing…

A nurse got into the room and shooed Ukyo to her's, warning her that she would be checking on her in a moment.

-o-o-o-

Akane and Ranma went to visit her that afternoon. She had asked them, but they had said the same Mousse had. She didn't bother to ask Shampoo, she knew she would get the same answers. There was only one person that could tell her the truth, IF he remembered, and that was Ryoga.

She was starting to believe that he had saved her. But how? And why had he still been human after that? And how were they still alive?

Dr Tofu passed by to check on her, and he was strangely silent.

"So, how's Ryoga?" She asked bluntly.

The doctor sighed. He seemed to be resigned, as if he'd been expecting to be asked that question but wishing he wasn't.

"He's fine, recovering slowly." He answered dryly.

"Is he awake?"

"Yes…"

"Can I see him?"

Another sigh, "no, Ukyo, you cannot."

"Why?"

"He's under observation."

"So am I."

"This is a different observation."

"How come?"

Dr Tofu rubbed his temple, as if preventing a headache.

"He's behaving… not quite like himself. I'd rather any of you not see him until he feels a little better."

"Can I ask you a question?"

Dr Tofu lifted an eyebrow, "now you ask for permission?"

The girl blushed lightly, but carried on; "yesterday you said I had a guardian angel; do you think Ryoga saved my life?"

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then looked at her, "I can't be sure of that, and I can't explain how that would be possible, but, due to the circumstances, I might bet all I've got that someone did. I don't think we would be having this conversation right now if it was otherwise."

She gulped, as another question invaded her. If it had been him, had Ryoga fallen off the cliff like she did and took the opportunity to save her, or had he thrown himself after her, thinking that he could resist the fall a lot more than she did? And how the hell did he grabbed her in midair? And _why_ would he risk his life to save _her_?

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to check on." Tofu left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She would definitely pay the lost boy a visit that night.

-o-o-o-

The hospital was dead silent. She felt like a burglar sneaking up the corridors like that, but she needed to get to the reception and find out in which room the lost boy was in. The receptionist wasn't on sight, so she risked a run to the desk, huddling under it. Thankfully the computer was on, so she typed Ryoga's name on the search bar.

-Hibiki Ryoga: Room 254, fourth floor.-

Bingo.

She spied the reception, still empty. She continued reading.

-Not responding to sedatives. Unable to tie down, gets loose.-

_Of course he would, he's strong enough. _

-Odd heartbeat.-

_Odd heartbeat? What does that mean?_

-Dangerous behaviour.-

Ukyo gulped, something was very, very wrong.

Hearing footsteps, she clicked exit and spied from the side of the desk, the receptionist was on her way back. The woman stopped in front of the coffee machine and Ukyo took the opportunity to sneak off; luckily she was barefooted, the woman never heard her run. She got on the stairs quickly, taking the elevator would be noisy and would take too long to wait in the corridor.

She reached the fourth floor in a hurry, panting; she started to look for the right room. After rounding a few corners, she found it at the end of the hall, almost secluded from the rest.

She reached the door, and rested her hand on the doorknob, doubting.

_-Dangerous behaviour.-_

_Nonsense, this is Ryoga… Shy, helpless, spineless, nice Ryoga… _

She turned it and thankfully it was open. Which she thought ridiculous.

_They try to tie him up, fail, and still leave the door open. Feh…_

She got in quickly, closing the door silently behind her. The room was square and had the bed in the middle of it, which was empty; almost like hers, but the window wasn't in the wall in front of the door like in her room. Looking towards her left, she could see the bathroom's door, and the room continued around the end of the bathroom's wall, where she could see a dim light, she assumed it was moonlight coming through a window. Either Ryoga was in the bathroom or he was there.

Tiptoeing, she rested her ear on the bathroom's door, hearing nothing and noticing the light was out inside, she tiptoed softly, resting herself on the wall, for some reason it made her feel a little more safer.

She reached the end of the wall and peered; she was right, he was there.

He stood in front of the curtainless window, resting his body on the wall, his arms seemed to be crossed above his chest; apparently looking at the beautiful full moon that greeted him outside.

"Ryoga?" She whispered with a trembling voice, sounding much more vulnerable than she would've liked. The feeling increased.

He remained still, unresponding.

She noticed that he was barefooted as well, wearing a pair of loose cotton trouser and shirtless.

Ukyo took two steps into the light, then she stopped behind him and took a few more steps to the other wall, maintaining distance.

"I sensed you coming," he said in a low voice, looking down.

"How are you?" She asked, not knowing how to respond to that statement.

He shrugged, "been better, I guess…"

He shifted, allowing moonlight to bathe him; she was surprised to find no bruises, no scars, and no injuries at all.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"No."

_Damn! _

"I think… I think you saved my life…" she said in a soft voice.

This made him look at her, surprised, "Did I?"

She gasped at that moment, studying him. He looked different and yet he looked the same at the same time. There was that glint in his clear green eyes (weren't they a darker shade?) and his hair fell loosely on his forehead due to the lack of his bandanna. Still with his arms crossed, she could see them clenched, strong and firm; her eyes travelled on their own accord to his hard stomach, his pants hanging dangerously low. Ukyo gulped, undoubtedly she had never seen him like this, the few times she had met him as P-chan, she had handled him the hot water and had turned away. That hadn't been smart, she reasoned, repressing a sly smile.

She returned her gaze to his face embarrassedly, suddenly acknowledging what she was doing and wondering why on earth she would behave like that, and found him staring fixedly at her exposed legs; she'd forgotten she was wearing only a long T-shirt that she had asked Ranma to get her from her house, the one she always slept in. Hospital gowns were far too uncomfortable. Of course, none of her private parts were on sight, but the shirt was just that long.

For some reason she couldn't understand, she brushed her legs together in a sexy way, (or in a way she thought was sexy, anyway) and saw his nose twitch. She smiled, this was Ryoga after all, always so shy.

But then, his gaze connected with hers and she shivered; there was something else in his eyes now, something like… lust? After her? She gulped.

"How come you're not bruised or anything?" She tried to break the silence desperately.

This seemed to snap him out of his thoughts, whatever they were. She gulped again.

"I don't know…"

"Why weren't you P-chan when they found you?"

"What?"

"You should have been in your cursed form, and you weren't. Did you get cured before and didn't tell us?"

"No, as far as I recall, I was as cursed as always …"

She took a step forward and he backed down, resting his hands on the wall behind reassuringly. This gave her a full view of him, all dark, dangerous, and vulnerable all at once. There was something strangely seductive about him (aside from his spectacular body and piercing gaze, that is) and Ukyo had to shake her head trying to make sense of the situation.

"I won't hurt you," she lifted her palms up.

"I know."

"Then why are you so anxious?"

He gulped, "because I might hurt _you_."

Ukyo froze. Now she understood why he was marked as dangerous. He was unstable.

"You're going to hurt me after you saved me?" She asked tremulously, trying to imply that it would make no sense.

"Not because I would want to, Ukyo." He looked down, ashamed. "But doctors say I might…"

"Hurt me in what way, Ryoga?"

He looked up, a miserable look on his face, "you should go…"

She softened; he seemed so troubled, so torn.

"Hurt me in what way, honey?" She asked sweetly, trying to approach him.

He stepped back as much as he could; the boy licked his teeth and then put a hand to his mouth.

"Do you really want me to leave?" She tried to reach up to him, but he dodged.

"Yes. No. I don't know…" He sighed the last part.

He was cornered against the wall, every step Ukyo took closer, his breathing became more unsettled.

"Go, Ukyo," he pleaded, stopping her in her track. "Why are you here, anyway?"

"I need to know…"

"Know what?"

"Did you jump off the cliff to save me? And how did you keep me alive?"

"I told you I don't remember."

"Will you tell me when you do?"

He nodded, relaxing a little as she stepped back.

"You don't remember anything at all, honey?"

He smiled at the nickname, "I had to save your life for you to stop calling me jackass…"

She snorted in laughter, caught off guard by the statement. All this was just… crazy.

He grew serious again, "all I remember is… dying."

Her stomach went cold at his last word, "w-what?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but… I can't explain it, I just feel like I died."

She tried to reach him again, to touch him reassuringly, hold him, anything. For some reason, she needed to. He walked away.

"You need to go; we'll talk later…"

"Will we?" She asked, knowing Dr Tofu wouldn't let her get close to him, understanding why.

"I'll be out of here soon, and you'll ask me whatever you want, but now you _have_ to go."

"Okay," she said and went to the door, opening it. She glanced one more time at him, standing in the middle of the room, an undecipherable look on his face, "thank you for saving me…"

She closed the door and sprinted to her room.

* * *

A/N: I've explained how Ukyo knows about the curse and why she hasn't told Akane, thank you Richard Ryley for pointing that out! And to answer another point, Ranma didn't know Ukyo had been in danger, he found out later. About Ukyo's behavior, she doesn't know why she's acting that way.

I'm still not sure about this chapter, I've got the idea on my mind but I don't know if I'm doing it right, I'm new to this kind of stories, so any corrections/criticism will be welcomed, as always! =) Thank you!


	3. Chapter two

Hey there! Here's chapter two; I have the feeling this will be a long story... :P

Thank you for the reviews on chapter one!

* * *

CHAPTER TWO.

Ukyo woke up abruptly, instantly checking the alarm clock, it was ten a.m. She freaked out for an instant since she would be very late for opening the restaurant, until she realized she didn't had to. She had given herself a week off, she recalled.

Sighing, she slumped on the bed again. Lots of thoughts had been spinning around her mind the night before, troubling her. At least she was home now, she hated being in the hospital. She'd stayed for observation for just two days (thankfully) and then had been sent home with the condition that she would rest until she felt better (her constant demand to Dr Tofu had had something to do with that, too).

Her body felt rested, she had started to feel much better. Her mind, on the other hand…

She had been extremely embarrassed after her visit to Ryoga's room. Dr Tofu had told her the next day that he wasn't in his right mind for what it had happened and that he needed a little time to cope; and there she had gone and probably messed things up even more. Of course she didn't mention the little visit. The doctor explained to her that such an experience caused a deep impact on the mind, sometimes even altering memories of the occurred.

She might had been through the same, she reasoned, considering her behaviour and funny thoughts. That had somehow calmed the urging feeling in her chest.

But she still felt guilty for assaulting the poor guy like that; especially with him in that state of mind.

Hell, she even had looked at him _that_ way!

She shook her head furiously, to vanish that image from her mind. She only had eyes for her Ranchan. That had just been a product of her momentary disorder. That was it.

The phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts. It was Akane. Ryoga had been transferred from intensive care and could receive visits now. She wanted to know if the chef wanted to go with her and their fiancé to see Ryoga and Mousse.

"Sure, why not?" She agreed, they would stop by the restaurant to pick her up that afternoon. Even though she was still embarrassed, the idea of seeing her friend seemed very inviting…

* * *

He'd been moved to a single room on the first floor after three days. Dr Tofu had ran a large amount of tests, both physical and psychological, the latter ones giving positive results, but still had some internal injuries that needed to be healed, so he decided he'd keep the boy in observation for a few more days.

Dr Tofu had diagnosed an outbreak of psychological stress as result of the situation he had experienced. Now, after a short treatment and medication to help him overcome what he had gone through, he was stable again.

Or so he made the doctor think.

Ryoga knew there was still something wrong about him. Something had changed that day, he couldn't explain how or what it was, but something wasn't quite right about him.

He hadn't remembered everything clearly, just a few flashes of memories connected.

But now he could see everything in his mind. The fight was vivid; he recalled every detail, right after Ranma made his last move.

He'd been lying on the grass, breathing slowly, completely beaten and exhausted; all of his energy gone after the Shi Shi Hokodan. He saw Ranma firing the huge ki blast, almost blinding him, and he was sure Ranma had won, it was all over.

Until…

"…_Save her…"_

Ryoga's eyes flew open at the intruding feminine voice. He was sure he had heard it _inside_ his head. Blinking, he adjusted his sight. Everything was in slow motion. Ranma falling to his knees. Akane crouched down protecting her head with her arms. Mousse lifting up Shampoo to protect her. Ukyo, crouching down much like Akane had, then being pushed by an invisible force, flying away.

"…_Save her now!..."_

The voice commanded, desperate. Ryoga's body reacted on its own, turning around in a fleet motion, shooting itself towards the girl. He saw her fall and jumped after her, his mind reeling. She was falling slowly, as well as the waves were crashing far under them, and yet he moved fast through the air; reaching her quickly.

"…_Protect her…" _The voice pleaded, and his body passed hers, getting behind her back, his arms surrounding her frame. He couldn't understand what was happening. His body was acting on its own, obeying the voice; and even if he didn't like the consequences, part of him had wanted to save the girl, too.

Once his arms closed around her, holding her tightly to him, some kind of energy seemed to radiate from him to her, creating some sort of shield around her.

"…_Thank you…"_

Then the world returned to its normal speed. He crashed on the water's surface, letting her go as his hands became hooves. He could see her floating on the surface as he sank deeper, still covered by that translucent energy he had somehow enveloped her with, bathed with sunlight as he sank into the dark. If only he could have remained attached to her. Icy water assaulted his little body like needles, capturing him in a whirlpool. He tried to swim to the surface, even though he knew he would be thrown to the rocks by the waves, at least if he could breath, maybe he could survive. But it was useless, his body had become numb, due to the cold that had frozen him up and the weakness that had returned full force after he let go of Ukyo.

It was over, he knew. Water had started to get in his lungs, after he'd exhaled the last remains of oxygen he'd had; his heart squeezed, slowing its beating.

He was dying.

A last image carved itself on his brain before everything disappeared; the girl he had saved floating above him, becoming ethereal, unreachable. Then he could see no more.

Ryoga blinked himself out of the paralysis he found himself in. It had been all like a vision, like a movie being played right in front of his eyes, only for him to see. That had felt extremely real, it couldn't be just a product of his imagination like Dr Tofu had said. It had really happened. He had died.

Shaking his head, he got up from the bed and walked to the little private bathroom. Ukyo had said that he'd been found in his human form, but he'd been still in the water. He remembered jut how freezing water had been, it was impossible. There was only one way to find out.

He opened the tap and put a finger under the cold stream. After a minute of staring dumbly at his finger, acknowledging that it was still a finger and not a hoof, he got his whole hand under the water. And it was still a hand.

"I'm… cured?" He blinked, looking at his reflection in the small mirror. Besides looking like crap, he still looked human. A disbelieving but joyful smile crept on his face, widening.

"I'm cured," he stated, awed. How had that happened?

His mind started to come up with different possibilities, and he settled on the most logical he could found. His cursed form had died, not him. Maybe, when the pig's body died, it freed him from the curse and he returned to his human body, and somehow managed to reach the coast. That would explain why he was so sure he had passed away, because he truly had.

"_What about the rest?" _He asked himself, _"maybe Dr Tofu's right and I imagined all…" _But then, why did everything feel so real? He admitted that the voice could have been a product of his imagination, but something had made him look Ukyo's way to see her in danger nonetheless. Maybe it had been instinct? If what had happened was real, Ukyo would remember something, right? And why had she gone looking for him that night? And what were those strange feelings he had experienced when he was with her?

Could it be that he and Ukyo had been victims of a hallucination due to their weak state after the fight? Or had it been something else?

"Aaah!" He yelled in frustration, punching the wall next to the mirror; it crumbled under his fist, cracking all over. He sighed, knowing he would have to pay for that. Looking up again, he frowned. He was looking like himself, but the reflection wasn't entirely right. Something felt different, wrong… He scrubbed his face with cold water to shake up, enjoying the sensation, happy that he could do something as simple as that without turning into something else. He looked at himself over again, finding that unsettling reflection once more. Staring right into his own eyes, he gulped; there was just something there, implicit in his irises, that hadn't been before. A glint of something wicked, something dark. Were his eyes clearer now, too?

Maybe he was going insane.

He needed to calm down, he needed to assure himself that it had all been a dream and that he was fine now; he had managed to get rid of the curse, now he could have a more normal life (he still had the problem with his sense of direction after all, right?) but at least now he could confess his feeling to his dear Akane and maybe, just maybe, he could start up something with her.

He grinned, hope swelling in his heart. Though it faded quickly; the smile on the mirror had been terrifying.

* * *

Ukyo tapped softly on the door, half waiting they wouldn't hear her. After leaving Mousse's room, the trio had set off to the lost boy's room a couple of doors down, but she had abruptly stopped midway claiming she needed to go to the bathroom, so Ranma and Akane continued without her.

After washing up her face four times, drawing a furrow on the floor with her nervous pace and sitting on a toilet lid for ten minutes, she decided to go see her friend.

What had caused that sudden wave of indecision was beyond her.

She felt her stomach clench as she heard Akane's soft voice say "come in", and wondered for what it felt like the hundredth time why on earth was she so anxious about seeing him.

Slowly opening the door, she came in almost carefully, as if any rapid movement would unleash disaster. Seriously, guilt was really getting the best of her.

Her fiancé sat on a chair beside the bed, looking bored and pissed off, and Akane sat on a little stool in front of him, her arms crossed above her chest with what seemed like a stubborn frown, both of them submerged in what looked like a glaring contest; Ukyo sighed, she had gotten so used to this picture that she could guess what had happened. Ranma had put his foot on his mouth again.

_This is what I get for leaving them alone… _She thought with a sigh.

She could see the outline of the other boy from the corner of her eye and felt her cheeks flaring up. Turning her head around for a chair or something to sit on, she realized the only option she had left was sitting on the bed.

She decided it was better to stay on her feet. Silence was broken by an almost inaudible sigh, what made her turn her eyes towards it. Ryoga sat cross-legged on the bed, he wore a plain white T-shirt and a pair of grey cotton pants, along with an annoyed look on his face as he gazed outside the window. He certainly wasn't enjoying the visit.

He looked tired and depressed, but she decided that it was normal, after all, he always looked like that; although there was just something out of place, something that it hadn't been there before…

Feeling a little overwhelmed by the tense atmosphere, she slowly sat on the end of the bed, the movement caught the fanged boy's attention, settling his eyes on her.

She looked back at him, right into those bright emerald orbs, and the world seemed to stop. Somehow, she could see the vast amount of conflictive emotions his eyes held, as if they were splayed there only for her to see; and the urging feeling in her chest returned without notice, impacting her whole frame.

She could see anger and coldness there, his gaze tinted with fierce determination; but then it changed to regret, sorrow and something else she couldn't put a finger on. The feelings changed back and forth. He obviously was struggling with two choices, and he didn't like any of them.

The urging feeling started to take shape, transforming into a need to comfort the boy, to make him feel better, to stop the inner battle he was carrying through.

"Ahem!" Ranma cleared his throat loudly, snapping both teens to reality. He and Akane were staring questioningly at them, as if they had just been left out of something important. Ukyo felt it had actually been that way.

"What?" Ryoga said, his voice carrying an edge.

"You were locked on a staring contest or something?" The other boy mocked suggesting, causing Ukyo to blush.

"You were so absorbed in your own that we decided to join you," he spat back, the chef had to repress a smile. Although Ryoga's tone wasn't too friendly.

"Alright, I get the point, sorry we fought in front of you;" he nodded to Akane, who smiled sheepishly.

"It wasn't our intention to make you feel uncomfortable, Ryoga-kun," she added.

"Never mind," he dismissed with intent of a smile, but his heart wasn't on it.

"We should better get going, and leave you to rest," the short haired girl got up from the stool, pulling at her fiancé's sleeve.

"Yeah, see ya later pork-chops!"

"Ukyo, are you coming?"

The brunette felt the heavy pressure of Ryoga's eyes on her, the need intensifying.

"I think I'll stay for a few more minutes."

A knowing smile lighted up Akane's face, "see you later, then!" She waved and ran up to Ranma who was already down the hall, closing the door behind her.

"I thought you'd be leaving with them," Ryoga lifted an eyebrow, an enigmatic hint on his voice; had he wanted her to stay or not?

"I didn't get to ask you how you're feeling."

"Been better," he shrugged, looking possessively at her, his hands resting between his legs, fingers intertwined.

"About…" She bit her lip, bracing herself, "about the other night, um…"

Ryoga looked down, trying to hide a blush. If he was embarrassed about her behaviour, or about his own, she didn't know. Maybe both.

This little trace of shyness made her feel more composed somehow.

"Well, I'm sorry. We were both still shocked about what happened, surely not on our right minds, and I'm sure I didn't help you with my antics." She sighed, ashamed as she remembered how she had snuck up on him and certainly messed things up.

"What were you thinking that night?"

"I wasn't thinking Ryoga, I'm sorry…" She started but he cut her off.

"No, I mean it, what were you thinking?"

There was doubt, and maybe even concern in his voice.

"Umm… I don't know… I had so many questions, since I don't remember what happened, and I thought you might…"

"So, you don't remember?"

"No…"

He flung his legs off the bed, supporting his weight on his arms, letting go a long, heavy sigh.

"Do you?" She tried, uncertain of the boy's thoughts.

He rested his elbows on his legs, cradling his head between his hands. Should he tell her? Would she understand, or think of him crazy?

He decided to say no, but a soft "maybe" came out. He cursed himself.

Ukyo moved closer, suddenly touched by the boy's evident affliction. She started drawing circles on his back with her hand, and a sense of relieve rose up inside her, becoming almost tangible, she could imagine it travelling from her chest through her arm to the boy's back. Ryoga let out a puff of air and his tense shoulders seemed to relax a little, this making her feel strangely satisfied. It had been as if she had projected her feelings to him, somehow.

But it only lasted a minute, since Ryoga suddenly jumped off the bed and stood far from her; "d-don't touch m-me," he half growled, half pleaded. She noticed the struggle taking over his eyes again, both sides trying desperately to win.

She threw up her hands in frustration.

"There you go again acting all weird! I'm trying to make sense of some things here and you're not helping!" She yelled, standing up as well.

"Don't you think I'm trying, too? But nothing makes sense when you're around!" He spat, and then his whole body went rigid, knowing he had said too much.

"So you admit it! I knew it wasn't just me!" She passed both hands through her hair, trying to rearrange her thoughts. "You'll agree with me that something's not right about all this, right?"

Ryoga sighed for what it seemed the tenth time that day, slumping his back on the wall, "yes…"

Just then, the door opened hastily and a nurse came in, "what's going on here? I heard you yelling;" she narrowed her eyes towards the chef, then looked at the boy; "you're supposed to be resting," she added.

With a swift motion of her hand, she ushered Ukyo out, "visit time's over, you can come back tomorrow."

"But we were just talking!"

"He needs to get well, and needs peace and quiet to do so."

Ukyo slumped her shoulders in defeat, "fine, I'll come back tomorrow." She caught a glimpse or Ryoga's cold, determined look pointed directly at her before seeing the door closing right in front of her nose.

* * *

A/N: I know some things don't make sense here, but they will as the story develops. Hopefully... Reviews are welcomed!


	4. Chapter three

Hello! Here's chapter three! Enjoy!

* * *

Falling: Chapter three.

Steam enveloped the little bathroom, creating a warm atmosphere; Ukyo opened the door to clear up the room and wiped the mist off her mirror, looking at her reflection absentmindedly while she toweled off her hair. Even though it was around midnight, she had taken her time in the shower, hot water doing an amazing job taking the tension from her body, and she realized just how much she had needed a vacation.

Even if it was to properly heal her body's injuries —as insignificant as they were—, Dr. Tofu had been right about taking her time to rest.

Between the restaurant and school, Ukyo didn't have too much time to spend with herself, let alone with her friends._ Friends_… She thought the word with a snort, evaluating the bunch of crazy martial artists that she could call her friends. Even though spending time with them meant involving herself in pointless fights, rescue missions or the occasional fight/tournament to save the Tendo Dojo, she had been sad to be left out of the majority of their adventures. Even though she could miss her classes like Akane did sometimes, she still had a restaurant to run, what took the most part of her time.

She even considered befriend some of her feminine classmates, but even though they seemed to be fine with her wardrobe choice, they still kept a distance since Ukyo was a known member of the 'Ranma gang', and just being around her meant trouble.

Sure, everyone in school seemed to enjoy being in the audience when a fight erupted, but neither of them really wanted to get involved. Being spectators was the perfect dose of thrill they might need for their lives, no need to be a part of it.

Her male classmates, well, that was another thing altogether. They didn't seem to have a problem with her wardrobe choice either, since they treated her like a 'budy', but weren't comfortable enough around her to actually being friends, either. Add the fact that she was Ranma's fiancée to that and boom! Instantly sent to friend zone.

She sighed and started to comb her hair, untangling the little knots patiently. Ranma had done exactly that, too. Yes, he'd said she was cute, once; but he —or any other boy, for that matter— never looked at her with nothing more than friendship.

Ukyo looked at herself, at her long hair framing her shoulders and the red fluffy towel tightening around her breasts; would he look differently at her now? Would he appreciate her plentiful chest, now that it was unbounded; or her long, firm legs, now that they were exposed?

Just like certain fanged boy had.

Whoa! _Where in hell did that come from?_

Ukyo shook her head, trying to diffuse that silly thought; guilt and shame rising up again. He'd been practically demented that night; she should think nothing of it. Even if it had been nice to have someone —a boy— looking at her like that. Among other things, there had been desire in his eyes.

Eyes that were staring at her through the mirror now, from the hallway, as a matter of fact.

Her back straightened up in surprise, and she tightened the towel protectively around her, turning to face him.

"Ryoga?"

"Are you okay?" He said in a tight voice, his stare remaining in her face. Or so he tried.

She looked at him standing in the hall, in front of the bathroom's door: head lowered, lips tight, hands fisted, eyes fierce.

Just a single thought formed in her mind.

Dangerous.

"Are you okay?" He insisted, not moving.

"Yes," she said, still surprised at his presence, "what are you doing here?"

Anger flared up in her as he started to look around, ignoring her question.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ryoga?!" She walked towards the door, "are you insane?" She frowned when he entered her room, looking around. "How did you get in? Do you realize I could have been naked, you jackass?! What the hell are you doing?!"

Ryoga turned to her and glared, "what does it look like I'm doing?"

She took him in, clad in the same gray pants and white T-shirt that he'd been wearing at the clinic, barefooted as well.

"Oh, honey, I should have known you were lost, I'm sorry." She flinched, realizing how dumb she'd been. Ryoga had just been lost, wandering around and getting inside her apartment only God knows how. The familiar feeling started to rise up in her chest.

He blinked in confusion, "what?"

"I'm calling Dr. Tofu. Or would you like me to take you to the clinic?"

He seemed to consider for a brief instant before hurrying towards her.

"Yes, take me there. Now."

"Okay, just give me a minute."

"You have to take me now, Ukyo;" he gritted, grabbing her arm and starting to drag her out of the bathroom. She flinched, his hold was tight.

"I have to get dress first, you jackass!" She wiggled to get free, "what's the matter with you?"

"There's no time for-"

His words were cut off by a blasting sound, and Ukyo screeched when he lifted her up on his shoulder and hauled her down the hall, cursing under his breath as the whole apartment shook.

There had been an explosion in her bedroom! Fire had already taken the room extremely fast and was now advancing, taking everything in its pace. Smoke increased, filling up the kitchen.

"Put me down, you jackass!" She commanded, her eyes teary because of the smoke, which was starting to get in her lungs. He let her down reluctantly.

"We need to get out of here," he said more to himself than to her, but she sneered anyway.

"You think?" She coughed, her eyelids becoming heavy all of a sudden.

She stumbled, her skin burning with the approaching heat. He literally stabbed the door open with a finger, reducing it into splinters, and she started to take shallow breaths, her throat constricting. Her knees buckled and she fell, her hands clutching the towel protectively.

"Ukyo!" She heard him say before he threw his arms around her and lifted her up, taking her downstairs and outside. Night turned into day while the blaze kept eating her home, and before her eyes closed, she thought she heard sirens far away.

* * *

... ...

He wasn't even a bit tired. He felt like he could run a marathon and would not even break a sweat. The burst of power, the intense energy that had blossomed inside him was still there, ready to explode. He traced a path around his living room, coming back and forth. The fact that he had been able to find his house so fast, and that he still remembered how he got there, told him that indeed he'd gained a sense of direction. Things just kept getting weirder. He'd thought it'd been his imagination, both of Ukyo's visits at the clinic had been bizarre, and he'd assumed that both of them had suffered some sort of trauma induced, collective hallucination. But the moment he heard the voice again, he'd known he'd been wrong. This was really happening.

He was definitely different, something had changed —or awoken— inside him. He'd known she was in danger even before the voice told him so. He had actually felt it inside his chest, a pang of dread and desperation, his blood running crazy in his veins. He'd known exactly where to find her, and the strong urge to protect her flared up alive, kicking him into motion. Everything had been a blur until he'd found her.

The voice had been blunt, "…_save her!...", _but there had been a hint of desperation underneath.

He sat on the couch, resting his head on his hands. He was not going crazy; at least he knew that now. If he hadn't gotten there in time… He shuddered. Not that everything that was happening made any sense to him, but at least he knew he wasn't just imagining things, he'd been right about Ukyo being in danger.

Okay, he might be imagining a little voice, but still…

A tingle ran through his spine, the hair in the back of his neck standing up.

"You're doing a good job, boy."

This time, he didn't hear it in his mind. Frozen, he turned his head towards the window, his mouth going dry.

Golden locks fell around a pale face, full pink lips and an upturned little nose. Ocean blue eyes framed in gold, which seemed too familiar for some reason. A long, flowing white robe that reached sandaled feet. Stretching behind her back, feathery white wings tinted with gold. A halo of translucent energy vibrated around her, which seemed familiar as well, protective and menacing at the same time.

Ryoga blinked, stunned. What was an angel —because she was an angel, no doubt of that— doing in his living room? And had she called him 'boy', when she didn't look older than fifteen?

"Uh…" Was his smart answer.

The being smiled, "you're a little surprised to see me, I note."

Well, wasn't that an understatement?

"Umm…"

She laughed, the musical sound vibrating in his chest; "there are a lot of things you don't understand… yet. But it is your commitment to protect her, I don't need to remind you of that."

He struggled a little to find his voice, "may I ask why?"

"Boy," she giggled, "it was our deal. A life for a life, remember?"

"Uh… no." He blinked; their deal? When had he made a deal with this creature?

"You will, then." She tilted her head to the side, "as for now, I must go, but I ask for your silence. Fulfill your duty, boy…"

And she faded away.

* * *

The smell of food filled her nose and she stirred, her hunger fighting the desire to remain inside those incredible silky soft sheets. She had to get ones for herself, her bed would be lovely clad in those. The pretty chef frowned when a little fact fell to place: she was not in her bed. Cracking her eyes open, she scanned her surroundings. She was in what seemed to be a boy's room. A twin bed, a wooden desk, a built-in little library above it, a walk-in wardrobe, a dark blue curtained window, matching the bedspread; the floor tiles were a dark shade of gray, the walls were a soft shade of blue and there were no posters or pictures on them. It was really masculine and elegant, and she liked it. The question was: what the hell was she doing there?

She sat up, the covers rolling off her, and she looked down, gasping. She was clad in an oversized red T-shirt, with a white stamp that read 'You know I'm sexy' on front. And that was all she was wearing. She paled, her heart thumping hardly on her chest; what had happened the night before? She panicked as her brain refused to come up with any other logical reason for her current situation, until a faint memory of the passed night sneaked up.

Bathroom. Ryoga. Fire.

_Oh…_

She let out a shaky breath, as everything came back to her. Ryoga had been lost inside her apartment when the explosion occurred, and he'd been trying to get her to take him back to the clinic —thank God—, otherwise she would have gotten trapped in the bathroom, and she would've— _Better not to think about that._

He'd saved her life, again. But she couldn't remember anything after he got her outside, where had he taken her? Was this his room?

As an answer, there was a soft rap on the door and it opened slowly.

"Ukyo?" She recognized his voice, loaded with worry and anticipation.

"I'm awake," she said hoarsely.

He stepped in with caution, studying her. He looked better, more like himself, but his eyes still had that turmoil she had seen before, and his features seemed sharper. There was definitely something different about him, but she couldn't quite figure what it was.

"I've made breakfast…"

She blinked, "really? That's nice…" She didn't really know what to say, how to react, so she thought she would take it slowly.

"Sorry about that," he pointed to the shirt, "first thing I found. You can borrow some of my mom's clothes if you want, her bedroom is down the hall."

She nodded, "thanks." She would not think about him seeing her naked. He'd probably put the shirt on her first and then taken the towel off. He blushed, as if guessing her thoughts. Yes, Ryoga would never peep.

They stared dumbly at each other for a while; he cleared his throat, "I'll be downstairs, come down whenever you're ready." Then he left.

Taking a deep breath, she got out of bed and walked towards the other room, searching in the wardrobe for something to wear. She found a pair of blue jeans that were not so baggy for her and white sneakers a size bigger but comfortable. Every shirt in the closet was either flowery or striped, so she decided to keep the one she was already wearing, knotting the hem on a side so it would tighten around her hips.

She went to the bathroom to fresh up and dress; she washed her face and combed her hair. Sighing at her reflection, she decided it was time to face the situation.

…

The boy pushed his empty cup away, resting his forearms on the kitchen island's countertop; breakfast was getting cold, but he was waiting for Ukyo. Not that he was much hungry, anyway. She entered the kitchen shyly, sitting on the stool in front of him.

"How are you feeling?" He gave her a tentative smile, and motioned for her to eat.

"Confused, admittedly; but otherwise fine." She shrugged.

"That's good."

"I'm afraid to ask what happened," she sighed.

He got up and refilled his cup, offering her one as well.

"I guess we were lucky I was lost, huh?"

She narrowed her eyes, "you always seem to be around at the right time."

He pointedly ignored that. "Um, I called Dr. Tofu last night. He wants to see you again this afternoon."

At the suspicious expression on her face, he elaborated; "he came to check on you, and gave you some sedatives; you were a little anxious. Sorry I brought you here, first place I found…" _Liar._

He'd been too embarrassed to actually turn up at the clinic again after he had escaped, and carrying a naked, unconscious girl wasn't adding to the prospect; so he had ran home instead and called Dr. Tofu. Waiting for the firemen or calling an ambulance had been out of the question, the sense of danger had been still present and he hadn't wanted to take any risk; he'd just known he had to take her out of there. He somehow managed to convince the doctor to let him stay home; but he had to take care of Ukyo for the night as well, since it would be risky to upset her further by taking her elsewhere in her state, and he reluctantly accepted. The fact that Ukyo looked really good tucked naked in his bed had absolutely nothing to do with his resolve. _Right._

She softened. "Thank you, Ryoga. I mean it."

He nodded wordlessly.

"Do I have to go to the clinic, or he goes home? Because I think I'll have a lot to clean up considering the situation and I really want to reopen Ucchan's next week…" She trailed off at the look on his face.

"He'll meet you here, since he has to see me too…" He said, a bit exasperated for some reason.

"Okay… Look, I really want to ask you about what we talked—"

"About your place…" He interrupted quickly, clearing his throat.

She paled. "Is it that bad?"

"It's all gone…"

She rested her hands on the countertop for support, "oh dear God…"

"I'm sorry," he wrinkled his nose.

She covered her face with her hands, her frame shaking, _all gone… Okay, okay, calm down… _She had a few savings in her account and she had been smart enough to have her restaurant under insurance. On the worst case, it could be running again in three or four months. But the apartment above it, her home, was another thing, and if she recalled correctly the events of the night before, she was probably homeless now, since she had no money to actually rebuild her apartment. She could live in the restaurant once it was ready, she'd manage, but what would she do until then?

"What am I gonna do now?" She said to herself but he heard her nonetheless.

"I'm sure we'll find a solution…" He reassured, upset at the girl's grief.

She shook her head, "you've helped me enough, if it wasn't for you…" She brushed a tear from her cheek, when had she started crying? "Anyway, I should call the insurance company; may I use your phone?"

"Of course." He said, pointing to the living room where the phone was.

He sighed, passing a hand through his hair, the fatigue of the night before finally falling on him. He had stayed awake, unable to get to sleep on the couch since he even hadn't been capable of sharing the same floor with the girl; he'd been too disturbed. His emotions were a blur now, so he tried to shoot them down as much as he could.

Every time she was around seemed like a war erupted inside him; there was the strong urge to protect her —which he understood now; well, a bit— along with an unaccountable desire to be near her —what the hell?—; but there was also a strong feeling of rejection that felt so natural that it stunned him, as if he was _meant_ to repel her. It was completely illogical and it was driving him insane. Sure, he'd had a poor, if nonexistent, relationship with the girl before the accident and admittedly, there had been moments when he couldn't stand her attitudes, especially towards himself, but this feeling was ridiculous. It seemed like now she could get on his nerves just by breathing; but thankfully she was being very civilized at the moment, so that calmed this little feeling. Somewhat. Besides, she was going through a lot now, he just couldn't be a jerk.

Shaking his head, he washed the dishes while she was still on the phone. He had been used to find himself in strange situations, what with his curse and poor sense of direction and all; but this was way off the track. He'd never had an angel appearing in his living room talking about a pact, what in the world was that? He blinked, could had he been dreaming? But if he'd been, how could he explain the voice in his head?

_I'm insane, that's just it. _

Rinsing up his hands under cold water, he stared fixedly at it as a sudden thought came to mind. 'A life for a life', the angel had said. P-chan was gone. Dead, to be exact. What if he had traded his curse up to saving Ukyo's life at that cliff? Could that be the pact about? It made sense to him, seeing just how desperate he was to find a cure; maybe the angel took the opportunity knowing he'd do mostly anything… And maybe he had a sense of direction as a bonus, in order to fulfill his duty of protecting the girl… He flinched. For how long that duty had to be fulfilled?

The angel had said he would remember their little pact soon, and it would make all sense then. Hopefully.

* * *

The chef looked around. To say it was a disaster was an understatement. Everything in her apartment had turned into ashes, the furniture, windows and doors; walls and ceiling were black, as well as the upper half of the staircase, and it reeked of smoke. Yep, she was homeless.

The restaurant wasn't as destroyed as she'd thought it'd be, though, so she managed an exhale of relief. The insurance men said, after their inspection, that it could be all rebuilt in a couple of months, and that it was all covered, so the situation was under control. For her business. As for herself…

She took a deep breath. Should she call her Ranchan? They were engaged, after all; and she had stayed with them once before; but for some reason she didn't feel like it. She probably was going insane, she should be hopping up and down in joy and taking advantage of the situation, but she couldn't find the will to do so. Maybe it had to do with all that had transpired in just four days, being near death twice and all, or the fact that she had realized he hadn't been really worried about her the first time, too worried about saving and protecting Akane; or the fact that he hadn't been aware of her until they had found her. Okay, so maybe she was feeling a little bit disappointed about her fiancé.

She'll deal with that later; now, she had to call her father, go to the bank and do some shopping.

* * *

The loud bang on the front door interrupted his sleep, making him moan. He lifted his face from the pillow, taking an unconscious sharp breath. Damn, it still smelled like her. He should change the sheets.

The door banged again and he cursed, wondering who on earth would be trying to take his door down. Could it be Haruna? She was the housekeeper his parents paid to come once or twice a week to clean up the house. A really nice old lady. But she had a key, why would she knock?

Then he remembered that Dr. Tofu was supposed to come by. It was their agreement to let him stay home. He checked his wristwatch; shouldn't he be coming an hour later?

Opening the door, he blinked.

"Uh, hi." The brunette offered, a slight blush spreading on her cheeks as she took in his askew hair and shirtless torso. She was staring. Again? _Damn it!_

His eyes narrowed towards the backpack hanging on one of her shoulders, and she winced. _Wanna close the door on my face too, jackass?_

"Dr. Tofu's meeting me here, remember?" She rushed out, uncomfortable at the boy's silence. He looked a little pissed off, surely because she had woken him up.

He turned around, leaving the door open, and she could hear his heavy footsteps on the stairs. _Oookay. _

…

Damn Tofu and his ideas. He toweled his face off and arranged his hair, then tousled it again furiously. What the hell did he care how he looked like anyway? Okay, so he was in a dark mood, but it was only her fault. Not only because he'd been strangely, insanely and totally awkwardly attached to her the past four days, but also because she kept assaulting his dreams and sneaking up his thoughts. And now she was in his house, again. Talk about invasion.

He just wanted to stop seeing her so the opposite, confusing feelings would go away. He'd kept his part of the deal, had saved her life twice; now he hoped it was time to dissolve this link with the girl or whatever it was.

He sat in one of the single couches, his forearms on the armrests; Ukyo occupied the other directly in front of him across the coffee table, no need to share the bigger one. Smart girl.

She'd rested a couple of things on the floor, like her backpack, a small handbag and a few paper bags. Definitely gone shopping. She had changed her clothes, too; now she sported a nice blue jeans, a pair of black sneakers and a long, buttoned black shirt. She looked good, he noted, and that only infuriated him further. He was _not_ disappointed that she wasn't wearing his shirt anymore. _Nope, not at all._

The chef cleared her throat, shuffling uncomfortable on her seat under his stern eyes. "So, um… Thank you for the clothes, I took them to the laundry so don't worry…" She smiled, taking one of the bags and placing it on the coffee table.

The boy just narrowed his eyes at her, and a funny feeling started to form in her stomach. He was looking all badass again, and as much as she hated to admit it, she liked it. With his clear, deep green eyes narrowed and the way his hair seemed like he just had carelessly tangled his fingers through it; made her wonder what it would be like to do so herself, fisting the ebony strands and throwing his head backwards to— _Okay! _What the hell was wrong with her?!

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like fighting a coming headache, "do you want tea or something?" He offered through clenched teeth, obviously he wasn't too happy about her presence.

She snapped, "look, you jackass, if you didn't want me here you could have said so! It's not like I'm asking you for anything else, so drop it."

She stood up and started to get her things, "sit down, Ukyo."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"You have to stay here until you get checked, then you can leave."

"Nope, that's not happening." She opened the door, but he was there in a second, closing it soundly.

"I said you stay."

Ukyo blinked a couple of times, "how did you do that?"

"Do what?" He frowned, "go sit down."

"Just tell Dr. Tofu I didn't show up or something." She tried again, reaching for the doorknob.

He sighed heavily, _what happened to 'not being a jerk'? _

"Ukyo, please go sit down," he bit his lip, and her stomach twitched; "don't mind me, I'm just…" He shook his head dismissively.

"I know it's been too much to handle, and you probably hate to get stuck with me again, but I'll leave to Ranma's place so don't worry…"

He let out a breath, staring fixedly at her face while shaking his head almost imperceptibly; the dance in his eyes was so intense she was drawn to them. Finally he seemed to reach a conclusion on whatever he was pondering, because he took her things and nodded to the kitchen.

"Go make some tea, I'll put these away."

… ...

"Okay, everything seems to be going fine, physically talking, of course; are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded, "I'm fine."

"Ukyo, you have been through two near death experiences in only four days, not to mention the loss you have suffered and your current situation. It's normal to feel confused or depressed, or both."

She sighed, "I might not be feeling quite like myself lately…"

Tofu slid his glasses up his nose with a finger, "I have to say I'm very impressed about your calmness in this situation; but it's not good for you to keep things inside. Either you want to talk with me or not, you should talk about it with someone."

"Well," she glanced at the kitchen's closed door, where the fanged boy was, "I've been feeling… new things, I guess… Something's changed…" She shook her head; she was not ready to talk about the things that had changed in her life since four days ago.

The doctor smiled tenderly, resting a hand on her shoulder, "whenever you need to talk about anything, you can call me, okay?"

She nodded, "thank you, doctor, really."

Ryoga chose that moment to appear with freshly made tea, and offered a cup to the young man. He glanced at the girl questioningly, but she declined politely.

"Well," Tofu clapped his hands once, "I find you both in better physical conditions, but I'm a little worried about post trauma emotions, considering all you've been through; so I'm going to keep track of both of you. And please try to avoid stressful situations, I'll be back in a couple of days."

"I'll be staying in the Tendo Dojo," Ukyo spurted, surprising him.

"Oh? I thought you'd be staying here."

She blushed, "n-no, I'm staying with my fiancé; besides, Ryoga has already done a lot for me, he doesn't have to… Uh…"

Said boy cleared his throat, "she can come here if it's more comfortable for you to see us at the same time."

"That's great, so I'll see you soon then. I'll call you." He said, standing up and gathering his medical gears. Ryoga walked him to the door and waved goodbye.

The brunette stood up as well, smoothing her clothes; he turned to her, closing the door behind him.

"I should get going…"

He nodded and went to get her things from the coat closet, then handed everything to her. She shouldered her backpack lazily, hovering around the door. He didn't seem as upset as before, but she didn't want to push her luck.

"Yesterday we agreed that something wasn't right about all this, and I was thinking—"

"Maybe you're reading too much into it?"

She blinked, "are you serious?"

"Post trauma emotions?" He shrugged dismissively. She shook her head and he had a nagging feeling that she wouldn't let the matter drop for too long.

"Ryoga," she started softly and he tensed up, "somehow saying thank you seems ridiculous," she snorted, then she closed the distance between them and rested a hand on his chest, "but I mean it, thank you, for everything. I'll find a way to repay you, I promise."

"I-I did what I had to, don't worry about it." He trembled slightly under her touch, the unnatural wave of warmth coursing through his body; her intense and grateful stare piercing his very soul.

She dedicated him a bright smile and opened the door, "well, it's time for me to go complicating my fiancé's life a bit more," she chuckled, "so I'll see you in a few days?"

He nodded, snapping his mouth shut before he said something stupid. He just stood there in the doorway, watching her walk away, and wondering what in hell he had gotten into.

* * *

A/N: Hi there! First of all, thank you to all who have reviewed this story so far. Sorry if they seem a little OOC, but since they're facing a whole new situation, well, it came up like that, LOL. And about Ryoga's house, I might have remodeled a little XD This is just getting weirder, isn't it? Seriously, I'm like 'what the hell am I writing'? Still, I hope you like it, and continue reading! Come with me in this crazy journey! Okay, I'm babbling now, so, leave your review on your way out! Hugs!


	5. Chapter four

Here's chapter four, enjoy!

* * *

Falling: Chapter four.

'Try to avoid stressful situations', Dr. Tofu had said. Hah! She pressed her lips tighter while seeing her fiancé being smashed with the table, _again_. Seriously, did that boy never learn?

The short haired girl let out a heavy sigh, as if sharing the brunette's thoughts. She rolled her eyes at something Ranma murmured under the table, that surely earned him another hit. She suspected his skull was thicker than Ryoga's, and that was saying something.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, could things get any more stupid?

"Tomboy…" He muttered, rubbing a lump in his head, sitting up.

"Ranchan," she interrupted before the Tendo girl delivered another blow, "she wouldn't be such a tomboy if you stopped being such a loudmouthed idiot around her."

Akane didn't know if she should feel insulted or grateful.

"Ucchan? You're siding up with her?"

"Just stating a fact, sugar."

"She's right, Ranma."

"Huh, that's great, two fiancées siding up to make me miserable. It's useless though, Ucchan, no matter what I do she'll never stop being a macho-chick."

He saw a glimpse of the chef's smirk before the mallet of doom descended on his skull, flattening him to the floor. Akane huffed and stomped to her room.

"I saw that one coming miles away," Nabiki offered, her eyes never leaving the TV.

"Doesn't this get old?"

The middle Tendo just shrugged, "some boys never learn."

She shook her head when Ranma stood up and also stomped upstairs, muttering about certain tomboys not quite under his breath. It'd been like that for three days, and she had started to regret following her father's command to stay with her fiancé; but there hadn't been any other choice, anyway.

She walked to the dojo with heavy steps, avoiding the stupid butterflies in her stomach. Okay, so she was a little anxious about her appointment in Ryoga's house, but that was because she'd been having these strange dreams about him; dreams that were illogical and deranged. She'd been sleeping in the dojo after the first night, Akane had insisted to share her room, but the girl seemed to turn into an overenthusiastic boxer when she fell asleep and she hadn't felt like turning into a human punching bag, aside from spending her first night awake.

Even if she meant competition, she was okay with the girl. What she couldn't stand was the way they treated each other with her fiancé; it was really getting on her nerves. She used to think it was a good thing —for herself, anyway— that they'd fight so much, but watching it closely was another thing altogether. Sometimes, the shorthaired girl overreacted; sometimes, the pigtailed boy really deserved those blows. All in all, it was driving her crazy. Thankfully, Dr. Tofu would let them get back to school soon and she'd have a distraction from all that.

Everybody had been okay with her staying in the Tendo household, especially since she offered to help with the bills and expenses, and she had surprised everybody when she didn't went all Ranchan-lovesick on him. She had been surprised herself, as well. What was wrong with her?

She reasoned that maybe it was because it was totally different to see him in school and every now and then at her restaurant than actually live with him and get to know every side of him; and maybe she was still a little disappointed about his actions towards her, adding up that he hadn't spent too much time with her even though they were in the same house. Sure, he had been a good friend, asking her how she was feeling, walking her whenever she needed to go somewhere, making jokes so she would feel better, offering his support if she needed to talk. But that was all he'd offered: friendship, and that sucked. And Akane had suspiciously been around too often, too. She ignored the pang of heartache that assaulted her chest; no need to think about that now.

She sighed in relieve once she stepped out of the Tendo residence, grateful that she had succeeded in convincing Ranma that she could go on her own. Walking alone, she enjoyed the soft breeze on her face, brushing those painful thoughts away; leaving room for other ones.

The butterflies kicked into action again when a certain fanged boy's face appeared in her mind's eye. She felt the heat spreading across her face when she recalled what she'd been dreaming about. Okay, some dreams were a little, uh, kinky; but there were other ones that were absolutely lunatic. Sometimes she saw themselves in a place surrounded by fire —understandable since fire had been present in both of their 'experiences'—, sometimes they wanted to escape the place, sometimes they wanted to stay; and the same happened to another place, this one being unknown. And the way she saw themselves in those dreams, almost unearthly. Talk about post trauma emotions, feh.

Although, those dreams could mean something. She couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something else going on. She had tried to do the little thing of projecting her emotions towards her fiancé and Akane, she even tried with Kasumi once, but she had failed miserably; yet she had done it to Ryoga twice, and it had come so freakily natural to her.

Maybe he was right, maybe she was reading too much into everything; maybe it was all a very big coincidence that both times it had been him who had saved her; surely his strange behavior was due to the stress, like Tofu had said to her, and he'd be back to his normal self in a few days. Maybe he was already shy, spineless, polite old Ryoga again; and not this version of the boy that seemed to want to tear up her clothes one instant and then kick her ass the next one. Talk about mood swings.

She had to admit that it had been terribly sweet of him to take care of her that night, even after all he had already done. She would give him free okonomiyaki for five years or something like that to repay him. She laughed, considering how much he used to be around, that wouldn't be a very big deal.

* * *

... ...

Being in his house for three whole days was a totally new experience for him, and he loved it. He had been terrified to go outside thinking he would just turn around a corner and magically step into Mexico, but he hadn't. Instead, he'd been able to jog around the neighborhood, and make some errands, the places and directions carved deep in his mind. Something that surely was normal for everybody else, was a novelty to him. No complains, though. The jog had cleared his mind, distracting him from the thoughts that had been milling in his head for so long.

He hadn't heard the angel's voice or received any visits again, and the sensations he'd been feeling were almost imperceptible now, as if they were fading away. Either it'd been real or he'd been imagining all, it was going away now, so there was no need to worry about it anymore.

He'd been dreaming a lot, though, about her. But he dismissed it quickly, it probably had to do with the way his bed still had her scent, and why the hell hadn't he changed the sheets yet?

Anyway, she was coming in about half an hour, and he was sure he would see her again and it would all be back to normal. He'd been right, he had needed some time away from her to break this connection they had somehow formed, either angelical or self-induced; so now they could move on with their lives, leaving behind the situation. He was even eager to return to their old bickering relationship, if that meant normalcy.

As for himself, some things had changed in him, no way to deny that; but he also had gained a sense of direction and had gotten rid of the curse, meaning he could start a normal life, and pursue his dreams as he had always wanted to. What was he always daydreaming about? _Akane, dumbass! _Right! Well, now he could confess his feelings to her and ask her on a date; nothing was standing in his way anymore.

Someone knocked on his door, taking him out of his thoughts. He reached a T-shirt from the wardrobe and toweled his hair again, it was still a bit wet from the shower. He tousled it with his fingers leaving some strands spiked, since he couldn't find his bandanna. _I need a haircut,_ he thought absentmindedly.

Even before reaching the end of the stairs he knew she was there, he just sensed her. Inexplicably his mood darkened and he felt totally pissed off. He rolled his eyes, there went his theory of normalcy.

He opened the door and frowned, "you're a little early. Again."

Ukyo blushed, "am I? But I took the long way!"

"Come in."

"Not in a good mood, I see;" she sneered, taken aback by his bad attitude and the coldness winning in his ever-troubled eyes. Nope, no shy, spineless Ryoga yet. His lips twitched and she smiled sweetly. "That a new look or something?" She pointed to his hair, sitting on the single couch.

"Maybe, how about you?" He said, taking a nice look at her, "trying to look like a girl or something?" He shot back; her eyes narrowed and he smirked.

"Jackass." She muttered.

Truth was, she was looking really nice with her black leggings and long, tight T-shirt; and she had lifted her hair up in a ponytail. And yes, there were definitely no chest bindings. _Damn it!_

The girl goggled at the green shirt that read 'In dog beers, I only had one' in black letters and grinned. "What's with you and funny shirts?"

"They're souvenirs, I've got this one in… uh, I don't remember."

Ukyo huffed, "what's the point in taking a souvenir if you don't remem— never mind; sorry I got here early, I just wanted to get out of there before I kill someone." She blurted, and then flinched, as if she shouldn't be saying that.

He lifted an eyebrow, "troubles in paradise?"

She snorted, "if that's paradise I'll gladly go to hell for a vacation."

That sentence made something to him for some reason, but he shook it off. "That bad, huh?"

"I'm sure you understand me, P-chan;" she smirked.

"I do," he sighed, ignoring the taunt, "those two can really get on your nerves." He couldn't deny that he enjoyed when the Tendo girl kicked Ranma's ass, though; but after the hundredth time in a day, it would turn exasperating. "That guy has a real serious problem with keeping his mouth shut."

Ukyo laughed, the lyrical sound reminding him of someone else, but he couldn't guess who. He liked the way she laughed, tilting her head backwards, leaving her long neck exposed, and resting a hand to her chest; suddenly his annoyance was replaced by a pang of desire, making his stomach clench, and he blushed.

"So, would you like something to drink?" He asked nicely, needing an excuse to go to the kitchen and calm down. She seemed a little thrown back by his abrupt change of mood, and nodded.

"Something cold would be nice, thank you…"

"Sure," he nodded and fled to the kitchen, leaving her wondering what in the world had just happened.

* * *

It was there again, the feeling spiraled through her arms and tingled her fingers, demanding release. She fisted her hands, trying to make it go away.

Dr. Tofu had been very inquisitive, asking them about how they were coping, if they were sleeping and eating well, if they had resumed training or doing exercise and how they occupied their time; if they were feeling depressed, confused or any other kind of negative emotions; he even asked if they had been experiencing any kind of hallucination or blackouts, or maybe something out of the ordinary. They had both answered negative, but she knew they were both lying; there was definitely something else going on. Then he had asked Ryoga how he had lost the curse and she had immediately sympathized.

"That wasn't as bad as we thought, huh?" Ryoga plopped down on the couch again, taking a sip from his cold tea.

"Has it really been two hours? Seriously, I'm amazed he didn't run out of questions!"

He chuckled, "he's just trying to make sure we're fine. Thankfully he didn't send us to therapy."

"If I hear the word 'trauma' one more time, I'm going to freak out."

"Trauma," he stated and poked his tongue out at her.

"Jackass," she giggled. Then she bit her lip, staring at him. "I'm not leaving until we talk."

"Talk about what?" He asked innocently.

"I know there's something else going on, and I have the feeling you know what it is and you're not telling me."

He sighed, a familiar tingle creeping behind his neck.

…"_Convince her that there is nothing wrong."… _ The voice commanded.

"Ukyo, I've already told you there's nothing going on; you're just still upset—"

"No, don't try to dismiss me like last time. Back at the clinic you agreed with me, and I want to know what it is."

"I was not thinking clearly back then, neither were you." He pointed out, making her blush.

"I know, I know…" She flinched, embarrassed again about her behavior a few days ago. "But still, you can't deny some things are just too bizarre."

Ryoga rolled his eyes, "you should be used to 'bizarre' now living in Nerima. I've told you, you're reading too much into this."

The brunette shook her head, a worried knot on her pretty forehead, "no, I'm not. You can't tell me you don't feel different when we're around each other, and these dreams I've had have some underlying meaning, I'm sure of it."

He pressed his lips together tightly, looking away. She'd been having dreams, too; and had admitted that she felt something strange when they were together, just like he did. If he needed any more proof of what was happening was real, it was right there. But he had been asked for silence, whatever the reason, and until he got to understand what was happening, he should comply.

"What kind of dreams?" He didn't miss her blush.

"I don't know how to explain, but it seems like we're trying to escape from something." _Sometimes,_ she added mentally.

"They're just dreams; it's probably your subconscious trying to cope with what you've been through."

"Why are you being so stubborn about it? I know what I'm feeling right now is real so stop denying everything. Can you really tell me that you're not different? I see it, Ryoga, I see the way your eyes change and how your face darkens with something alien sometimes. It's like you're two different persons at the same time."

He gulped, knowing she was right, but he hadn't been aware that she had noticed these changes, too.

"Are you telling me you don't feel this?" She knelt in front of him on the couch, pressing both hands to his face, the swirl of energy instantly leaving her itching fingers and warming up his body, soothing him.

He moaned, his body yielding to her touch and the sensations of calmness and comfort that swept through him. He backed away blushing, clearing his throat.

"Okay."

"Okay?" She parroted, her eyebrows shooting up.

Ryoga shrugged, "I can't explain that, I don't know how the hell you do it." And it was the truth; he hadn't given too much thought to the girl's new ability, admittedly. He'd assumed it was just him sensing something from her. Maybe it was a gift from the angel, like his sense of direction?

"Too bad, because it only happens with you."

"What?"

"I've tried with Ranma, Akane and Kasumi; but nothing happened. It's only with you. So you can't tell me there's not something unexplainable about us."

Ryoga passed a hand through his hair, confused; what did that mean? The connection between them was undeniable now; it was not just him sensing her, it was a link.

"I've been thinking a lot about this, but still can't figure out what happened down that cliff. I'm also sure that you were lost in my apartment for a reason that night. I don't know why this is happening, but I really want to find out."

"I don't know what happened down that cliff either, I just knew I had to jump right after you."

Her jaw slacked, "so you didn't just fall off, you jumped on purpose?"

He flinched, "well, it wasn't like I had any other choice..."

…"_Careful"… _

He snapped his mouth shut. He didn't know why, but his instinct told him he should fear the being.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," he shrugged it off.

"That night, when I went to see you," she blushed again; "you said you sensed me coming. What did that mean?"

"I just knew it was you. It happened today, too. I can't really explain it, I just _know_ it's you."

She sighed, standing up and walking to the window; "this is just insane."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you."

"What do you think it means?"

…"_Tell her to forget about it. Convince her that is not important."…_

"_Why?" _He asked in his mind.

…"_Comply, boy."…_

"Maybe what happened connected us at some spiritual level? Maybe it will just wear off eventually, or disappear, and we'll be back to normal."

She seemed to consider this. "You're probably right, maybe it's just temporary and I'm making a big deal out of this. I'm glad we talked about this, though, otherwise I would've started to believe I was going crazy."

"Maybe we are, who knows?" He chuckled.

"Okay then, I should go," she walked to the door and he stood up, opening it for her. "I meant what I said the other day, I'm really grateful for what you did, and I will find a way to repay you." She had that solemn stare again and he thought he could just sink into her deep-blue eyes.

He managed a smile, "you really don't have to, but you won't let it drop, will you?"

"Nope. I was thinking about free dinners or something, but you'll have to wait until I'm back to business."

He grinned, fangs poking out, "sounds fine, thanks."

"You're more than welcome, my annoying savior;" she bowed mockingly and he chuckled; "so, I guess I'll see you around."

"I'll manage to find my way there."

"Good... Bye, Ryoga."

"Bye…"

* * *

He closed the door after she turned around the corner, sighing heavily when the tingle returned.

"You have handled this very well, boy."

"Would you mind telling me what's going on?"

The being smiled sweetly, flapping her wings, "no memory yet?"

"Unfortunately, no; and I really want to know what's going on."

"All you need to know is that you have to keep her safe, it was your part of the bargain. She cannot know what is happening, it would only endanger her further; that is why you have to keep silent. If you happen to remember anything, you will not talk to her about it."

"What do you mean it would endanger her further? What about the connection between us? Is it going to fade? Why didn't you tell me she was aware of it too?"

"You ask too many questions."

"I wouldn't if I knew what this is all about."

"You have what you asked for. Protect her when she needs it, that is what I asked for."

"But I've already saved her life twice! I'd say you have what you asked for, too."

"That was only the beginning, boy. They will come for her, sooner or later they will find her again, and you will have to fulfill your duty. Do not forget."

"Who will?" He asked, but he was alone.

* * *

A/N: Not much to say about this one, leave your review! Hugs!


	6. Chapter five

Hi there! I can't believe I'm updating this fast XD Here's chapter five, enjoy!

* * *

Falling: Chapter five.

…

"Are you sure you don't want us to wait for you, Uchan?" Ranma asked when they were reaching a corner, on their way back to the Dojo from school.

"It's okay Ranchan, I can go by myself, I've told you that already." _Like a thousand times. _She added mentally.

"Really, Ukyo? It's not trouble at all, you know that;" the shorthaired girl added.

"You two go ahead, I'll be home in a little while, don't worry;" she dismissed the pair, turning around the corner before they could complain about it.

She had to go to her restaurant after school, workers were about to start rebuilding the place now that the insurance company had finished the preliminary examination and they needed to ask her some questions. She didn't necessarily have to go alone, but she did need a break from the couple.

She was grateful to them for being so worried about her, but after a week of living with them and even going to school together, she had started to feel smothered. She had been used to living alone almost her whole life; moving in to a house full of people wasn't an easy challenge.

Especially if two of them were her fiancé and his other fiancée, and she had to witness a lot of situations that were not so beneficial for her. Even if they would rather die than admit it, those two were inseparable and cared heavily about each other.

Ukyo knew Ranma cared about her, too; but all she saw in his eyes when he looked at her was friendship, almost brotherhood. When he looked at Akane, though…

"Miss Kuonji?"

She jumped, turning around towards the man that had called her name. For how long had she been standing there, lost in thought?

"Mr. Nakamura, it's nice to see you again;" she bowed to the insurance man, who bowed back politely.

"I'm glad you were able to come, shall we start?" He opened the door for her and they stepped inside.

Her heart constricted on seeing her place so wrecked, but she made sure to pay attention to Nakamura's indications and questions. They were making some changes in order to guarantee safety, but they wanted to make sure she would be comfortable about it.

"Miss Kuonji, there's something I need to ask you." He said when they were reaching the door again.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure there was an explosion before the fire started? Are you sure that you didn't forget a dishcloth near the stove or something like that?"

"What? No, I was in the bathroom, and I heard the explosion! The whole apartment shook! I've told you; maybe it was a gas leak from the grill or an electric problem."

"So, you think the explosion happened in the restaurant?"

"Yes, I was in the bathroom when it happened and I saw the fire in my bedroom, surely coming from the restaurant, then it expanded to the bathroom and the kitchen; that's how I was able to escape." She shuddered at the last word. "Why are you asking me this again?"

"We have made the pertinent evaluations in the restaurant and the apartment, but we couldn't find the cause of the explosion."

"What?"

"We were first inclined towards an electric problem, like a short-circuit in the TV or a plugged in cellphone in your bedroom. But we couldn't find evidence of that, either."

"There were no electrical devices in my bedroom. What are you suggesting?"

"We think that the fire, or the explosion that originated it, was intentional."

—o—o—o—

She paced back and forth in her pajamas, since sleeping was impossible. It was almost dawn and she still couldn't get the idea out of her head. Someone had tried to kill her. She knew she was being ridiculous, after all who would want her dead? Shampoo and Kodachi came to mind for a brief instant, but she knew they weren't capable of actually kill her.

She thought about Ryoga. It hadn't been him, she was sure; otherwise he wouldn't have saved her. But she'd started to suspect he hadn't been just lost by chance, maybe their link had dragged him there. The weird connection had worn off after all, apparently, since she didn't feel those strange emotions anymore, and she had thought things had returned to normal; but she had still been having the dreams, and they had only gotten more intense.

She'd been right after all, there was something strange going on and she needed to find out what it was before it was too late. That jackass had convinced her to forget all about it, but she shouldn't have listened. What if they, whoever they were, tried it again? What if he had known she was going to be attacked? After all, hadn't he been looking around in her room seconds before it happened? Hadn't he just appeared and asked her if she was alright? How come she hadn't noticed that before?

She needed answers, and she needed them now.

... ...

She smiled to Kasumi while she had some milk; the sun was barely rising and the girl was already making breakfast.

"Are you going for a morning jog before school, Ukyo-san?" The eldest Tendo asked, eyeing the chef's sports outfit.

"I thought some exercise would be nice, and you know I can't do anything without those two stepping in the way, so I'm leaving while they're still asleep."

Kasumi smiled —obviously—, "they're worried about you. It's sweet."

"I know, but it makes my teeth ache sometimes."

"Oh my," she giggled, "be sure to be back for breakfast, okay? You need to eat something before going to school."

"Yes, Kasumi-san." Ukyo gave the girl a warm smile and left; she enjoyed the girl's motherly attitude.

... ...

The plan was simple. She would run to Ryoga's house and slide a note under the door, so whenever he returned home he would find it and call her. She had specifically written that he had to call her to the Tendo Dojo first, in case she was still there, otherwise he'd call her to the restaurant. Ryoga was surely lost, after all, and she didn't know how long he would take to come back. Hopefully it was sooner than later.

She was a block away when the almost forgotten feeling started to spiral up her chest. _What the hell?_ She ran faster, until she stopped at his front door. Her fingers were itching by then. That only meant something: Ryoga was home. What were the odds? Had he already returned? Maybe he hadn't left the house in the past week, so he didn't get lost after all?

She took the note out of her pocket and stared at it, doubting. If she was feeling like this, it meant that the connection hadn't worn off after all, obviously. And, if he was awake at this early hour, he probably already knew she was standing like a dumbass in front of his door.

She squared her shoulders, making up her mind; he was there and she should take the opportunity to talk to him face to face. He would answer all of her questions this time.

She was about to knock on the door when it opened hastily, revealing an annoyed fanged boy, who let out a heavy breath.

"I just knew it was you." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

She stood there, fisting her hands, her chest coming up and down heavily from exertion, her brow furrowed. This guy just brought out the worst of her when he behaved like that.

"What you knew," she snarled, "was that I was going to be attacked."

He straightened in surprise, paling; "don't try to deny it, jackass;" she stabbed a finger on his chest, pushing him backwards; "and you had the nerve to persuade me to think it was nothing!"

"It's not what—"

"Don't do that again!" She shouted, stepping in and slamming the door shut. "I can't believe you lied to me, made me think I was being delusional, made me think that this," she motioned between the two of them, "meant nothing and it would fade away!" She poked him again.

Ryoga crossed his arms on his chest, his stare turning to ice; "you better calm down."

She gulped, taken aback by his menacing demeanor; he had turned into that dark side of him again, but she didn't back down.

"Don't try to placate me, I'm being serious! You knew I was in danger, you were all worried and ready to battle when you showed up, then trying to get me out, you knew there was something going on!"

"Ukyo—"

"No! You were there on purpose! They just told me the explosion was intentional! Can you explain that? Because I'm starting to believe that there's someone out there trying to hurt me and—"

"Stop." He commanded curtly, grasping her arms. He stared into her eyes, his features softening; she breathed heavily, eyes watering.

"I just—" she choked.

"Calm down," he repeated, softer this time. He slid his hands up her shoulders, rubbing them to ease off some of the tension.

She let out a huff of air, closing her eyes at his reassuring touch, wondering how he had managed to jump from 'ready to kill' to 'absolutely mellow' in just a blink.

"Just don't lie to me anymore," she whispered, her eyes opening slightly, studying his face.

"Okay…" He relented, half waiting to hear the chiding voice, but it wasn't there. This encouraged him to continue. "You're right, there's someone after you."

She gasped, her eyes widening; "who? Why?"

"I don't know."

"Ryoga…"

He led her to the sofa and she plopped down, taking her head between her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. He sat beside her, fighting the ridiculous need to take her into his arms. It'd been bad enough that he hadn't been able to stop himself from touching her before, aside from utterly embarrassing.

"I didn't know what was happening, I just knew you were in danger and that I had to help you." He blurted, hoping the angel wouldn't be hearing them. "The same happened back in the cliff."

Ukyo straightened up, covering her mouth with her hands, "it wasn't an accident either? The cliff?"

"I'm not sure. I thought both times had been accidental, but I was wrong about your place, so I might be wrong about it, too."

"Oh dear God, somebody wants me dead? Is it real?" She panicked.

"Yes. I don't know why, or who; I've just been told to protect you…"

She frowned, "What do you mean, you've been told? By who?"

"I can't tell you that," he said curtly.

"What?! Why?!"

"I'm not allowed to tell you some things, mainly because it's dangerous for you to know. At least not yet, so please don't push this, okay?"

"Not allowed? What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Calm down," he hushed again, "you were right, we're different, this link we're sharing is unnatural, and I suspect also are the beings after you. Just like the one who contacted me."

"I don't understand, why you?"

The boy shrugged, "apparently, I have a reason, but I don't remember… I'm as confused as you are, Ukyo."

"That's so reassuring," she snapped, frustrated.

"That attitude will get you nowhere."

She flinched, "what do I have to do about this?"

"They've told me that the less you know, the better. I guess you have to be more careful, don't go anywhere alone, just in case. If you're in danger, I'll be there."

She nodded, resting her back on the sofa, "how would you know?"

"I can feel it, and I know exactly where to find you."

"What if you don't get there in time? What if you're lost then?"

"I will, and I don't get lost anymore, so don't worry."

"You don't? That means you weren't lost that night?"

He shook his head no, "see? I can be there in time."

"I knew I was right!" She punched his arm, making him flinch.

"I was ordered to lie, so I won't apologize… Tomboy," he muttered under his breath.

"Jackass." She huffed, rubbing her sore knuckles. "My own personal hero," she murmured absentmindedly.

He turned towards her solemnly, lifting her chin up with his hand to level her eyes to his, amazed at his own boldness; "I will protect you, Ukyo. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

She nodded, swallowing a hard knot and forcing the tears back. She would not cry.

Ryoga took a sharp inhale, getting lost in her ocean eyes; her warmth reaching from her skin to his, so much that his hand seemed to burn under her chin. Or maybe the heat was coming from him, judging by the way her cheeks had turned red; either way he couldn't help inching closer, attracted by the way her lips parted and her eyes lowered to his mouth, drawing him closer, closer…

RING!

"Fuck!" They jumped, startled by the phone. He hurried to answer, wondering who on earth could be calling so early in the morning and thankful at the same time for being interrupted. He had almost kissed the girl! Had he lost his mind?!

"She's here," he said through the speaker, getting the girl's attention, who had that pretty blush still plastered on her cheeks. He smiled inwardly; amazed that he had caused that. "Okay."

"Tell me it wasn't Ranma or Akane," she dropped her shoulders, and he was glad they were ignoring the former situation.

"Kasumi, she's worried because you still haven't returned."

"How did she know I was here?" she frowned, sure that she hadn't told the girl where she was going.

The fanged boy shrugged, "you'll be late for school."

"Uh, yes, I should get going…" She deflated, standing up on shaky legs, still thrown about everything.

"Okay, let's go."

She blinked, "you're coming?"

"What happened to 'not going alone anywhere'?"

"It's only a few blocks, Ryoga. I can take care of myself, you know?" She rolled her eyes, suddenly upset about the whole situation; she was a martial artist too, damn it! And if they thought they would get her without a fight, they had another thing coming.

"I beg to differ."

"Right," she sneered, "I'm ready for you to escort me home then, my knight in shining armor." She made a silly reverence.

Ryoga closed his eyes in a silent prayer for patience.

—o—o—o—

"I hate math." The boy dropped his head on the open book, making both girls jump.

"You're just too dense, that's the problem;" Akane rolled her eyes, closing her own book and gathering her notes in a neat pile.

"You're having trouble with homework too, Uchan?" He asked, ignoring the shorthaired girl's taunt.

"Huh?" The chef blinked, oblivious to the interaction between her partners.

"Homework," he repeated; "math, equations, numbers…"

"I got the point, jackass…" She chuckled.

"Are you okay? You have been distracted all day, Ukyo."

"I'm fine," she dismissed, gesturing with her hand for emphasis, "I'm just a little worried about the restaurant." She was not telling them what had been on her mind all day. The last thing she needed was to get them even more protective around her, so she kept silent about her current situation.

The Tendo girl patted her shoulder reassuringly, "be patient Ukyo, you'll be back to business sooner than you think, and you know we love to have you here with us, you can stay as long as you want."

Ukyo blinked, surprised at the girl's declaration, "thank you Akane, that's really nice of you." They shared a smile and she returned to her homework, catching a glimpse of Ranma's huge grin before his expression turned back to annoyance.

—o—o—o—

It was late into the night, the house was silent and dark, only the light of the streetlamps illuminated the compound. A gust of ice-cold wind blew through the yard, a sharp contrast to the mild late spring weather.

Ukyo shuddered, sitting up on her futon at the far end of the Dojo, awoken by the sudden change of temperature. She blinked in the dark, reaching for the table lamp resting on the floor. Goosebumps assaulted her spine, a sense of dread spreading along her frame. She looked around the Dojo, searching for the possible cause of her sudden pang of fear. Everything seemed calm and quiet, but she couldn't shake the feeling off.

She jumped at the sound of heavy, paused footsteps on the grass, her trained senses on alert. She stood up, her bare feet cold on the usually warm wooden floor. The heavy footsteps continued to approach; she instinctively reached behind her back for her spatula, cursing when she remembered she had lost it in the fire. She looked around for any kind of weapon, then neared to the corner where she spotted a bokken, her eyes never leaving the door.

Taking the wooden sword between her hands, she assumed a fighting stance and waited for the intruder to break in. The door slid open and she sprinted forwards, falling on her butt as she abruptly stopped when she noticed it was just Ranma.

"Shit, Uchan!" He chided, helping her to stand up, "you almost scare me to death!"

"Me? What the hell are you doing walking creepily around the yard, Ranchan?"

"I heard noises outside the house, but when I saw the light here I thought it was just you, so I came to check if you were okay."

"I heard noises too, like footsteps… But it was probably you."

"Yeah," he agreed, rubbing his arms to warm up, "is it me or it just got cold around here?"

"It's—" she froze, her eyes widening in fear. Ranma turned around, gasping in surprise; standing in the threshold was a white wolf, staring at them through pure, crystalized white eyes, its breath frosting when it left its snout. Its eyes narrowed, ears flapped to its head.

"What the…?" What was a wolf doing in the doorframe? What was a wolf doing in Nerima, even? Though she had a few suspicions that it had a reason to be there.

"Give me the bokken," Ranma commanded in a hush, never breaking eye contact with the animal; "I don't think it's friendly."

"I can see that," she agreed, stepping closer behind him, "be careful."

The martial artist took a deep breath, his legs parted, his square shoulders, his eyes fierce. The animal growled menacingly, crouching slightly, readying.

Tension built up in the room, as Ranma prepared for his move, lifting the sword in the air to strike…

"Shoo!" He shouted, sticking the bokken in front of the wolf's face repeatedly, "shoo doggie, shoo!"

Ukyo face faulted; and judging by the animal's tilted head, open eyes and pointed ears, it would have, too, if it could have.

"Seriously, Ranchan?"

"What? I don't want to really hurt him." He changed his mind though, when the wolf bit the bokken off his hands and reduced it to splinters between its teeth. It started moving towards them, its growl deepening, chilling their bones.

They pulled back, Ranma guarding her protectively behind him. "Look, I'll distract him and you'll run to the house. I'll try to knock him out."

"What? No!"

"Uchan! Do as I tell you!"

"What if he hurts you?"

"Pff, I'm faster and stronger than him, trust me." He dismissed, and she cursed his damn ego. "Ready?"

The chef nodded and he sprang forward, tackling the animal to the ground, while she bolted through the walkway. It stood up and shook Ranma off, slamming him against the wall with unearthly force, stunning him. He expected it to attack him while he was down, but instead it sprinted after Ukyo.

She panicked when she heard the sound of claws against wood closing at high speed, finding the door that led to the house locked. She ran around the house towards the front door, cursing when it didn't open either. She turned around to face her hunter, and flinched when it leapt, trying to measure a way to scape before it came down on her; but the all too familiar warmth started spiraling in her stomach, right before Ryoga impacted on the animal in midair. They rolled onto the ground and he took the momentum to slam it to a tree, hearing an agonizing squeal.

Ryoga remained crouched; the wolf reincorporated and started towards him again, but stopped abruptly, frozen in fear, and fled jumping over the wall.

He stood up and turned around, facing her. She gasped, taking in his fierce stance, his eyes crystalline as emeralds and almost cat-like; a dark, dangerous aura vibrating around him, his raw breath and fisted hands. She was reminded of that first night in the clinic, also the night when he stood in her hallway.

"Are you okay?" He asked shallowly.

The chef nodded, "right on time;" she lifted a trembling hand to her forehead.

"Uchan! What— Ryoga?" Ranma rounded the house, Akane's huge mallet in his hands.

"What are you doing with that?" She pointed at it, shaking her head.

"What are _you_ doing out here? I told you to run to the house! I got in thinking you were there, safe, and I came back to get rid of the wolf."

"With that mallet? Seriously?"

"Hey! I've been at the end of this baby way too many times, don't underestimate it."

Ryoga sighed heavily, closing his eyes to calm down. He was still bursting with that powerful energy that bloomed when she was in danger, and a fight with his rival seemed too appealing right now. It wasn't himself when he was like this, and he quite couldn't take control of it.

"I'm fine, Ryoga took care of it."

The pigtailed boy sagged in relief, "good, I'm glad you're okay. What are you doing here, anyway, pork-chops?"

"He's lost!" She spouted before he could say something else.

"Figures," Ranma snorted, taking in the other boy's look, he had been apparently sleeping. "Got up for the bathroom and ended up in the middle of the street?"

"Something like that," he muttered, giving Ukyo a knowing look.

"Well, we're surely not walking you to your house at this hour, so you'll have to stay here and we'll drop you on our way to school."

"I don't need you to—"

"He's right, you'll get lost again if you go on your own." Ukyo chided, shooting him a meaningful look; it was better to keep his newly found sense of direction to themselves for now.

"Take him to the Dojo, Uchan, I'll get an extra futon." He started to walk away.

"What? Why can he stay in your room?"

"Uh, we're full. Besides, if that wolf decides to come back, it's better if you're not alone." Ranma disappeared into the house.

She looked at the fanged boy, who shrugged.

"You better behave," she blushed, recalling how close he had been to her that morning.

"I behaved when I had you almost naked in my bed, Ukyo, I think I can manage;" he smirked. Then blushed furiously, where had that come from?!

Her mouth hung open then she snapped it shut, stomping to the Dojo with her hands in fists. He shook his head, following her. Yup, definitely point to Team Hibiki, though.

—o—o—o—

"Wake up." A familiar voice said, shaking her shoulders slightly. "Ukyo, wake up."

"Hmm?" She cracked her eyes open, staring directly at a handsome face. Still with her mind sleep-fogged, she wasn't sure if she was still dreaming or awake; after all, she had been dreaming about that very face. "What?"

"You were having a nightmare." His baritone voice said, his breath tickling her; and it made her realize that she was indeed awake and that he actually _was_ looming above her, kneeling beside her futon, with his hands pressing on her shoulders. _  
_

"Uh…" She squirmed, eyes fully open and aware now. "A nightmare?" She wouldn't call her dream actually a nightmare.

He straightened up, resting his hands on his thighs. "Well, you were restless and, uh, c-calling my n-name," he gulped, blushing, and she was glad to see a glimpse of old Ryoga; "so I assumed you were dreaming you were in danger…"

She took both hands to her cheeks, feigning a yawn; but what she really wanted was to hide her blush, she knew her face was blazing.

"Uh, yes, a nightmare; why else would I be calling your name?" She laughed, had she really been talking in her sleep? She really didn't want to think in what way she had pronounced his name. Surely it hadn't been a desperate, 'please save me' tone. _Ugh… _

"Do you remember anything?"

She sat up, "well;" oh, did she remember… But he was not getting to know that. He was going to pay for the little comment he had thrown at her the night before, as if she really had needed to get her dreams stormed by images of his bed and nakedness! Instead, she recalled some of the other dreams she'd had; not too much detail there, but they all had one thing in common.

"Silver. I always remember something silver."

He seemed to acknowledge this, "I've dreamt about that, too. It's like it's hiding but I catch a glimpse of it. And I know it's bad."

"Silver is bad. Got it."

"Are you okay, after last night?" Ukyo smiled, he always seemed to be in a good mood after he saved her butt.

"I don't know. It's all so… strange. That wolf was not normal, I'll tell you that. Its eyes were white! As if it was possessed or something…"

"Maybe it was," he shrugged; "nothing's too farfetched at this point."

"True," she looked down, "thank you, by the way."

He smiled, "it's my job."

"I need to find out what's happening…"

"We will," he assured her, standing up.

She followed suit, "I just hope we'll do before it's too late."

* * *

A/N:Thank you all who have reviewed and PMed! I hope you liked this chapter =) Thanks for reading and don't forget to review! =D


	7. Chapter six

Hi there! Here's chapter six, hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Falling: Chapter Six.

…

His hands burned, as if he just had set them on fire. The fire extended to his arms, then to his back, chest and legs; it was consuming him completely, but there were no flames. It made his blood boil; it made his skin melt; until he was made of that fire…

Ryoga sat up, panting. He looked at his shaking hands; grateful to see them uninjured, and checked himself. That definitely had been a dream; but it had felt so real. His heart beat at high speed, doing odd flutters; he'd broken into a sweat.

He shook his head, standing up from the couch; things just kept getting weirder, and this had felt so real. He walked to the window, a storm was drawing up, and he thought it would match his mood.

He thought about the girl that had been plaguing his mind for so long. He'd fallen asleep on the couch since he had not been able to close his eyes the night before. Even though he had placed his futon on the other side of the Dojo, as far from hers as he could, he still had been able to hear her soft moans and whispered calls of his name. Repeatedly.

He knew she had been having nightmares, probably calling out to him for help; but just hearing his name like that had been utterly amazing. A need to reach her had become uncontrollable and he'd had to grasp the sheets to anchor himself to the futon, otherwise he would have walked to her and he didn't trust himself when he was feeling like that. He didn't trust himself at all these days.

Like the burst of power did when she was in danger, this feeling erupted inside him without warning, heating up his blood and making him look at her with all too different eyes. He hated it, it made him think, say and do things that he would never do, especially with Ukyo. He had even tried to kiss her the day before! Her! When his heart belonged to Akane!

This ridiculous desire had to be induced by the link they shared, he reasoned. There was no other explanation for it. Sure, he had to admit she was pretty, but that didn't justify the unreasonable pang of lust he suffered sometimes.

It was the link, he concluded, what made him feel such an attraction to her, as well as the illogical rejection and the amazing, unknown power. How it provoked such opposite feeling at once was a puzzle to him.

He idly wondered if she was okay. Great, now he was worrying about the girl, too!

She was still in school; even if he didn't like to admit it, he knew she was safe being with Ranma. His rival/friend had protected her last night, before he had arrived. He'd been on time, but why had he taken so long to feel her danger?

What if he wasn't fast enough the next time?

"Damn it!" He cursed out loud, and jumped when the light bulb exploded.

He blinked a couple of times, frowning; but dismissed it quickly, it surely had been a coincidence.

Rain started to pour heavily, and he settled on the couch again, looking absentmindedly through the window. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. The wolf that had attacked Ukyo had definitely been out of the ordinary, and he couldn't help but to feel that it had a connection to the angel. It emitted the same kind of vibrations the angel did. Though it didn't make sense; if the being was trying to protect her, why would she send such a creature to attack her? And why, indeed, was the angel so eager to protect the girl?

He was distracted by a sensation he came to know too well, and sighed minutes before there was a knock on the door. She was here again?

He wasn't ready for what greeted him when he opened, though.

"Hi," the girl panted, leaning on the doorframe, trying to catch her breath.

He studied her, standing in his porch; her wet, chestnut hair hung heavy around her shoulders and face, her full lips parted on an elaborated breath, her eyes shining with excitement. Her clothes were soaked, sticking on her body, her chest coming up and down laboriously.

He couldn't help but stare, taking her beauty in, 'pretty' just wasn't doing her justice; his jaw slacked. Fire started building inside him, and he feared his former dream would come true and he would just burn.

"It started raining when I left school, so I had to run," she explained when he remained in silence.

He cleared his throat, his mouth had gone dry; he hated that she would have such an effect on him. _Stupid link. _"Come in."

"Thanks."

He looked around the sidewalk, suddenly realizing something.

"Where's Ranma?"

"He went home," she stated matter-of-factly, taking off her soaked jacket. She had managed to get another boy's uniform.

"What?!" Ryoga slammed the door closed, turning sharply towards her, "you've been running around in the streets alone?!"

She blinked, crossing her arms above her chest protectively; "it's been only a few blocks."

"That's dangerous enough when we don't know what we're facing here, Ukyo. I need you to be more careful." He rested his fisted hands on his hips, "and he should have walked you, anyway!"

"It's raining like crazy, and he's still cursed, you know; he's not so keen on remaining wet. Besides, I asked him not to come."

She approached him, standing right in front of him with her dripping hair and a sleeveless shirt; then added, "I wanted to come alone."

Ryoga's back straightened in surprise, he could feel his face starting to blaze, his heart running like crazy; "w-what?"

"I wanted to tell you that I remembered something today."

"Oh." What had he been thinking, anyway?

"I remember one thing from my dreams, the silver things!" She got all excited, as if she had made the biggest discovery of humanity. She clasped her hands in front of her chest, bouncing slightly.

"Uh… I'll get you a towel," he fled to the bathroom, needing to get away from her. When she had gotten close, her hair still dripping, small droplets sliding on her bare arms and neck, her skin glistening with humidity, and her eyes bright, it had been just too much.

He needed to learn to control this feelings, even if they weren't real; he was in love with Akane, he couldn't betray her; especially with a girl that was engaged to and in love with Ranma.

She'd probably hit him senseless anyway, and he'd end up utterly embarrassed afterwards. Although, she hadn't complained at all when their lips had been a breath away, she even had had this pretty color on her cheeks and had half closed her eyes, looking at his lips as if she had truly wanted to taste them.

_Nonsense! _He discarded, shaking his head. She surely was under the link's influence as himself, all the more reason to avoid this kind of situations.

He returned to the living room and threw the towel to her face from the other side of the couch. Better to stay away for now.

She caught it midair, toweling off her face, neck and arms with soft dabs. He stomped a foot on the floor childishly, hands on his hips and biting his lower lip. Didn't she realize what she was doing, just how sexy she looked right now?

Thank goodness she started drying off her hair, "you have to stop doing that."

"Doing what?" He paled, was she aware of his internal struggle?

"Fleeting like that! It's annoying; I'm talking to you and you just take off."

"You needed a towel," he shrugged dismissively.

"Anyway, I was telling you I remembered what the silver things are," she resumed, sitting on the sofa, the towel twisted around her hair. The hems of her pants were still damp, but he was not offering her his clothes again. The image of her wearing only his red shirt with the all too accurate stamp came to mind and he trembled. Definitely not.

He sat reluctantly on the other end of the sofa, his arms crossed on his chest, "what are they?"

"Feathers," she stated, still awed.

"Feathers?" He parroted incredulously.

"Yup, isn't it weird? I've never seen silver feathers, but I know they are; I remembered seeing one on a dream, it was sliding in the air in front of me, and I took it; it _was_ a feather, but it had this amazing color and it almost shone. It was beautiful."

"Huh," he stated, wasn't that familiar? The angel had feathers like that on her wings, they were practically full of them, but hers were golden. Why would he and Ukyo dream about silver feathers? And more importantly, who or what did they belong to?

"Funny thing is, I remember feeling safe when I took it."

"No, it's not safe. I feel it's dangerous for us, I might say I even fear them."

"But I don't… I feel we can trust them, whoever they are. Isn't it strange?"

"What's not strange in all this?" He responded.

The brunette sighed, freeing her hair from the towel, tousling it with her fingers around her shoulders. He looked away.

"I was thinking maybe we could talk to Cologne. Maybe she knows something about this or someone who can help us…"

"That seems like a good idea."

"Yes, but you have to come with me, cause she doesn't like me that much, for obvious reasons."

He stared incredulously at her, "of course I'm going with you. I can see you still don't quite get the point about not going alone anywhere."

She rolled her eyes, "and you still don't quite get the point about that I can take care of myself."

"No, since I have been assigned to _protect_ you, and you're being so stubborn about it, I don't."

"Maybe I wouldn't be so stubborn about it, if I knew who has assigned you!"

"Maybe you could be told who has assigned me if you wouldn't be endangering yourself on purpose all the time!"

"Maybe I would stop 'endangering' myself if you only would stop being such a jackass and tell me the truth!" She knelt closer to him on the sofa.

"Maybe I could be allowed to tell you if they would know you will not do something stupid about it!" He followed suit, so they were nose to nose.

"Maybe I would not do something stupid if you only stopped behaving like a freaking bipolar person!"

"Maybe I would if you would only stop being so, so, aaah!" He threw his hands up in exasperation, halting before giving himself away.

"You jackass!"

"You, you, _damn_!" He growled, and she screeched when the window's glass cracked under Ryoga's last curse.

They stood very still, both looking at the cracked glass. He gulped, maybe it hadn't been a coincidence, after all.

"As soon as it stops raining, we're going to the Nekohanten." She turned to him.

Ryoga just nodded.

—o—o—o—

That afternoon was busy at the Nekohanten. With the Ucchan's out of business and Mousse with a cast, Shampoo had her hands full. She was surprised to see her rival coming through the door, accompanied by the lost boy. She blinked, what were they doing here together? The Amazon rolled her eyes, probably the okonomiyaki chef had come up with another plan of hers, and that idiot had been dragged in.

She waited another table before walking towards them; they were still standing in the threshold like two idiots.

"You eat?"

"Uh, what?" Ryoga blinked, he always had a hard time understanding this girl.

"We're here to see Cologne." Ukyo announced, a little too harshly.

"Why?" Shampoo's eyes narrowed, wondering how her great-grandmother could be of any help in their little plan. Not that it would work, anyway.

"This has nothing to do with Ranma, so please could you be decent for a minute?"

Shampoo's eyes widened in surprise, "why you here, then?"

"Uh, none of your business." Ukyo's hands fisted and Ryoga could feel her anger rising up. He rolled his eyes, and she was asking the other girl to be decent.

"Shampoo, could you please call Cologne? This is only between Ukyo and me, I promise."

The purple haired girl blinked, looking back and forth between them; then a smile crept on her pretty face.

"Shampoo call great-grandmother." She walked to the kitchen and returned a couple of second later. "Great-grandmother see you now." She pointed in the direction she had come, motioning for them to go.

"Thanks," Ryoga said before Ukyo tugged harshly at his sleeve and dragged him inside the kitchen.

… …

"My, my, what do we have here?" Cologne said from the other side of the table they were sitting at in the little kitchen.

"This has nothing to do with Ranma, before you ask, so we're hoping you'll be willing to try to help us."

The old Amazon laughed, "I know you're not dumb enough to ask for my help if that were the case."

Ukyo glared. "No, I'm not."

Ryoga cleared his throat, "we're here because we think you might know, or at least have a clue, about what's happening between us."

Cologne's wrinkled eyebrows lifted, "between you two, huh?"

"Yes," he answered matter-of-factly, but she didn't miss their blush, though.

"Well, and what is exactly going on between you two?"

They proceeded to tell her all about everything that had occurred since the accident at the cliff, including their link and Ryoga's new display of —apparently— telepathic skills. He omitted the angel, of course.

"Oh, well… This is unexpected." The lady said after they finished their tale an hour later, which had included a lot of snide comments, big number of jackasses with a few punches and hair tugging coming from Ukyo, naughty remarks followed by lots of stuttering from Ryoga, hot arguments, and endless blushes.

"So, let me get this straight: you have someone trying to kill you, Ukyo; and you have the obligation to protect her, Ryoga; to do so you share this connection with her that lets you know whenever she finds herself in danger. Neither of you knows who is after her. You do know who wants to protect her, but cannot tell her about them; am I being correct?"

Both teens nodded.

"I see… Well, about this link…" She rubbed her jaw thoughtfully, "it lets them know whenever they're near each other, it lets Ukyo transfer her comfort to Ryoga, it gives Ryoga an unknown energy and force to defend Ukyo…" The old Amazon thought aloud. "It obviously increases their bickering and exasperation towards each other…"

Both teens glared at the other, nodding again.

"…there's definitely an underlying attraction between the two…"

"Ha!"

"Pff!"

"…and they share the same dreams… Hmm…" The old lady nodded her head back and forth, her lips creased in contemplation.

"Do you know what's going on, Cologne?" The girl asked, leaning forward with attention, the boy listening carefully, both trying to ignore the furious blushes on their faces.

"Nope, I have no idea." They groaned.

The Amazon continued, "all I know about spiritual bonds between humans is what is called 'soul mates', which is a person with whom one has a feeling of deep or natural affinity. This may involve aspects such as similarity, love, intimacy, spirituality, or compatibility and trust; one will feel 'complete' once they have found their soul mate, as it is partially in the perceived definition that two souls are meant to unite."

"Which is obviously not our case," Ukyo added, rolling her eyes.

"I second that," the fanged boy smirked.

"As I was saying," Cologne sighed, "that's the only spiritual bond known between humans. There are other bonds, though, that go beyond the human kind. I'm sure we agree that yours was not made by you two, but by this being that connected you with a purpose; we agree that this is supernatural doing."

"What kind of bonds are those?"

"Well, as little as I know about it, it's said that bonds between supernatural creatures can be created by blood oaths, or pacts; for example two beings that mix their blood in marriage, become united for eternity. Also, when a being promises something to another, or they make a pact, blood is spilled in order to seal that promise, with punish of death if they fail to comply. This somehow connects them, too, if they mix their blood in a handshake or any other way."

Ryoga gulped, wondering if his pact with the angel had involved blood.

"Okay, that makes more sense to what's happening to us," Ukyo stated, "but, how can we be linked that way if we're both humans?"

"The being somehow managed to unite you, but I cannot see how."

"What about a pact between one of those creatures and a human?" He asked, Ukyo's eyes turning to him.

"You think one of us…?"

He shrugged, "we don't quite remember what happened at that cliff, and it's when all of this started…" He wasn't telling her that he was the one to make the pact; not before remembering about it, at least.

"I'm not sure; it's known that humans often do pacts with the devil, selling their souls; or promises to the Gods, but I have never heard of them becoming united with the beings."

"So we're back at the beginning," the okonomiyaki chef sighed, slumping in the chair.

"What about the dreams? Can you tell us something about them?"

Cologne frowned, "the fact that both of you are having the same recurrent dreams means that somebody's trying to tell you something, but the message is still unclear. The places you describe are probably insinuations of heaven and hell, but why you would find yourselves in both places is contradictory."

"What about the silver feathers?" Ryoga asked.

"Hmm," the old Amazon looked away in concentration, researching in her memory; after a while she spoke again, "there are some old legends back in the tribes that describe silver winged warriors, with swords of blue fire, that slayed the demons and evil spirits that assaulted the villages. They often offered oblation but they never accepted it. That's all I can think of."

"Demon slayers?" Ukyo said incredulously, "you think I might be hunted by demons?"

"Why not? The Tendo girl just has been kidnapped a few weeks ago by one."

"Yeah but it had wanted to take her as a concubine, not kill her!"

"That might explain why we're dreaming about hell…" Ryoga supplied, _and why an angel is trying to protect her, _he added mentally. "And we _had_ been fighting a demon when this started…"

"You think it's some kind of revenge from the demons for the one we killed? But shouldn't they be after Akane and Ranchan, then?"

"You're probably right…" He shuddered at the thought of Akane being hunted. "But it's all we've got so far."

"Demons are vengeful creatures; they usually hold grudges against whoever dares to piss them off, no matter how small the action might be."

It was a possibility, but Ryoga doubted it was truly what this was all about. Or maybe there was more to it than what they were seeing.

"What should we do?" The brunette asked, trying to sound a little more confident than how she really felt.

"First of all, I think you might want to try to find out exactly what it is that is really happening. Once you know that, you might find whatever needs to be done."

Ukyo brushed a hand through her face, anxious. Ryoga seemed thoughtful, something Cologne noted but said nothing about.

"I have some ancient scrolls and books that might be helpful; or would do for a start, at least. Try to remember as much details from the dreams and events as you can, and research them."

—o—o—o—

Cologne just had given them the books and scrolls she had in Japanese, promising she would read the Chinese ones to try and help; but still they were a lot. Ryoga carried two piles in his arms while Ukyo carried another one, which outreached their heads.

"I guess we have some homework to do," she giggled despite herself when they reached Ryoga's house again.

"I'm glad you find the situation amusing," he scolded, resting the books on the coffee table.

"And what exactly am I supposed to do? I thought you knew me well enough to realize I won't back down or hide in a corner and cry." She said, following suit.

"I'm not asking you to do that, I'm just trying to make you see that you shouldn't take the situation so slightly. You almost died, Ukyo. Three times."

She gulped, "I know that, alright? Trust me; I've racked my brains trying to figure out what in the world is happening and why it's happening to me of all people. I haven't had a decent night of sleep ever since the cliff, and I'm sure you understand what I mean. I'm really getting tired of not knowing what the hell is going on and not being able to stop it; now I find that I might be hunted by demons for whatever reason, too boot; so sue me if I want to clear my mind for just a moment."

The chef crossed her arms on her chest and turned to the window, biting her lower lip. Ryoga sighed, approaching the girl. He hated to see her so vulnerable, used to her strong and cheerful self; it made something inside of him soften towards her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered behind her, his hand reaching out but not daring to touch her. "I wasn't trying to make you feel worse, I was just…"

"I know," she said, not turning around.

"I was serious when I said I'd protect you and won't let anything happen to you, Ukyo. No matter the reasons behind my obligation, I will comply." He swore, solemnly. And he realized then how true it was.

She looked straight into his eyes then, hers shed with tears, and her lips pulled in a pout as her chin trembled slightly. The sight of this strong, proud girl in the verge of tears made his heart break. Aside from registering just how beautiful she truly was in the back of his mind.

"Always so honorable…" She murmured with her voice cracking. A single tear fell across her cheek and he couldn't resist brushing it away with his thumb; his hand lingering for too long before he snapped it back.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and he unconsciously took a step closer, getting lost in the deep, troubled ocean her eyes were; she tilted her head up a notch and her lips parted slightly, and he couldn't help to direct his gaze towards them.

Something broke the spell they seemed to find themselves in and she blushed, abruptly turning her head away, hiding her face under her bangs.

"I should go home… I told Ranchan I'll be back soon and it's been too long."

"O-of course," he cleared his throat, "just pick the books you want to take with you."

She shrugged, "I'll have the half of them."

He nodded, taking the upper half of one of the three piles and resting it above the pile she had been carrying; then he took them all. "Ready when you are," he mumbled.

"I can take a few," she rolled her eyes, picking up her schoolbag from where she had dropped it earlier.

"I know, but I want to carry them, okay?" He said in a calm voice, a little bit softer than he would've intended.

She seemed like she was about to protest, but then bit her lip and nodded.

They started their way to the Dojo in silence, avoiding each other's gaze.

… …

He tilted his head to the side as he walked to be able to see where he was going behind the tower of books and scrolls. She sighed, throwing her hair to the side of her face like a curtain between them. She was so mad at him right now! First he goes and makes her feel miserable, then does nothing to comfort her, then confuses the hell out of her! The jackass! As if she wasn't aware of her situation!

She blinked away a few tears that threatened to fall, grasping the straps of her schoolbag hardly; trying to calm herself. It was bad enough that he had seen her in the verge of tears before, and the jackass had done nothing about it, just stood there dumbly looking at her. She flinched, surely if it had been Akane he would've pulled her into his arms immediately; like that time at the cave, when she actually had to bap his head with her spatula for him to let the girl go. But, of course, she wasn't Akane, so what had she expected? She was just an obligation to him, as he'd said; and she was aware of that. What startled her was that the knowledge had hurt her.

At least Ranma had shown concern towards her, in his own little ways. Even though Akane had been involved, too. A lot. She sighed again; it wasn't the girl's fault, after all. It was just the way things were.

Besides, she knew Ryoga loved the Tendo girl, of course he would react differently if it were her; and Ranma… well, she didn't want to think about how Ranma felt towards Akane. No need to get even more depressed, right? Although, she was perfectly aware that for Ranma and Ryoga, Akane would always come first.

Nevertheless, she needed support right now. Maybe if he knew what was going on…?

"I'm curious about what you're gonna say about this," he stated, breaking the silence between them.

Ukyo shrugged, "I was thinking I might tell him the truth." She hadn't told anybody about what was happening because she had felt a little smothered about moving in with the Tendos and Ranma and Akane's continuous babysitting after her 'accident', but now she felt like she needed all that again. Maybe her fiancé could give her the comfort she needed right now… Even if it was given as a friend.

"If you think that's gonna help…" He said a little too harshly.

"Well, it will help having someone worrying about me for a change, so yeah."

He was about to tell her that he did worry about her, but snapped his mouth shut at her next sentence.

"I'm sick of being just an obligation."

"Are you talking about me or Ranma?" He sneered. He was perfectly aware that it was a terrible thing to say in that moment, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Both."

Ukyo pushed the wooden doors open and he walked straight to the Dojo, resting the books on the floor. She passed beside him and threw her schoolbag on her futon.

He was debating whether he should apologize or not when she turned around, her face downcast; "just let me know if you find anything. I won't bother you anymore."

He blinked, taken aback by her sudden change of attitude. "You're not— I'm stuck in this as much as you are, Ukyo."

"Stuck," she snorted, shaking her head; "people just get stuck around me, don't they?" She whispered sadly.

"Look, I—"

"Never mind, thank you for walking me." She smirked. "You find yourself free of your knightly duties for the day." She made a flourish with her hand.

The fanged boy rolled his eyes, stepping outside since he'd been apparently kicked out; "I'll be here if you need me, though."

"I know…" She said as she slid the door closed, "I just wish you shouldn't have to…"

* * *

A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews! Let me know what you think! =) Hugs!


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